Guiding Principles

Pedagogical Values

These are values that speak to who we want to be as teachers; what we want for children now and for the citizens they grow into; the kind of world we want to live in; and the purpose of education.

Aspirationally, we create a culture that embodies these values; families choose these values when they choose this community; teachers create curriculum around and practice toward these values; and children grow toward and come to embody these values.

We value

• Lives rich in meaningful moments, days, months, and years. How we spend our time matters. Intentionality
• A sense of purpose. Contribution that matters.
• Integrity with self and others. Commitment to your community and to your undertakings.
• Self-awareness. Self-respect. Self-compassion. Authenticity. Being yourself.
• Love. Belonging and inclusion. Feeling seen, heard, known and accepted.
• Empathy. Respect for others. Compassion. Listening. Support.
• Space for and capacity to express the full range of human emotion.
• Community. Collaboration.
• Taking helpful action. Agency for self and others.
• Physical comfort and safety. Sense of security and order. Clarity.
• A sense of abundance and ease about time, space and materials.
• Health. Pleasure, power and vitality of the body.
• Joy and passion. Zest. Delight.
• Fun. Playfulness. Humor.
• Beauty. Inspiration. Reverence.
• Celebration. Gratitude.
• Voice. Questioning authority. Co-constructed agreements. Democracy.
• Fairness. Challenging bias and inequity.
• Choice and freedom.
• Curiosity and exploration.
• Inventiveness and creative expression.
• Courage.
• Healthy risk-taking. Freedom to make mistakes.
• Hard work. Challenge.
• Developing real skills doing things that matter.
• Complexity. Depth. Working with questions of substance, questions that matter.
• Awake minds. Critical thinking. Reflection.
• Intellectual agency. An active response to experience and information.
• Comfortable and respectful relationship with nature.