Why should I choose a private school instead of public?
Why are classrooms multi-age at The Natural Learning School?
In a mixed-age classroom, will older students simply be passing the time?
Does Natural Learning School emphasize basic skills?
How does Natural Learning School handle discipline?
How are students evaluated at The Natural Learning School?
With no letter grades, how will I know if my child is making progress?
Will students take the TCAP tests?
What is a child-centered learning environment?
Are the basics addressed by a child-centered environment?
What about language?
Does The Natural Learning School assign homework?
Will my student be prepared for the transition to other school environments
upon leaving The Natural Learning School?

Why should I choose a private school instead of public? (top)

By paying tuition, you are buying not only the benefits of a unique learning environment for your child, but membership in a community where parents are welcomed and valued at all times. There is tight communication between the school's administrators, teachers, and parents, Our program is coordinated school-wide, success is shared, and problems are addressed immediately. Research, parental input and the best interests of our students guide our decision-making process. The teachers, curriculum, and activities are free of traditional educational politics. In our school each child is respected as an individual with unique abilities, creating a personalized pace for learning.

Why are classrooms multi-age at The Natural Learning School? (top)

The primary goal of multi-age grouping is success for all students. Children grow and develop at varying rates. The multi-age classroom provides time and support for each individual to develop, honoring differences in learning styles and paces. Where an individual is along his/her own learning continuum determines the focus of instruction. There are many additional benefits to multi-aged grouping. Students and teachers work together over a period of years encouraging a stronger sense of community and commitment to one another. Teachers have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of each student’s academic, social, emotional, and physical strengths and can plan to best meet each student’s needs. Parents and teachers have more time to become partners in supporting children. Students are encouraged to teach and learn from one another. Younger children benefit from older students who model more sophisticated approaches to learning while older children benefit from their roles as mentors. The child-centered structure of the multi-age classroom encourages children to be enthusiastic participants in their own learning.

In a mixed-age classroom, will older students simply be passing the time? (top)

All students, including the more advanced students in our two-year classrooms, are encouraged to continually move forward at their own pace, facing new challenges, and always deepening, clarifying, and expanding their understanding. During their second year in the classroom, all students have the benefit of the teachers' better understanding of their learning needs and styles. The older students are leaders and managers of the classroom job. They set an example for the younger students, but are never held back while others catch up.

Does Natural Learning School emphasize basic skills? (top)

Basic skills (reading, arithmetic, etc.) are obviously important for every child to master, but alone they are not enough. They must be balanced by an understanding of how and when to apply the skills. Research shows that people master skills more easily when they learn them in a realistic context. Drilling on abstract skills first, then attempting to apply them is less effective. For instance, we don't assign grade-level-appropriate spelling lists. Students generate individual lists of words they need to study- words they have misspelled in their own writing. All our math problems are story problems and our science projects are hands-on.

How does Natural Learning School handle discipline? (top)

We teach children to think critically, solve problems, and resolve conflict. Discipline is not imposed by the staff, but is inspired within the children through their internal joy of learning and solid study habits, their respect for people and environments, and their developing ability to work with others both like and unlike themselves. In interpersonal conflicts the children are not simply isolated or punished individually, but are helped to resolve their differences. If a child is disrupting the group, we seek to understand the reasons behind the disruption. We model a non-violent conflict resolution.

How are students evaluated at The Natural Learning School? (top)

Evaluation of a student is an ongoing process involving informal parent-teacher communication, periodic observation and note taking, check lists that are tied into curricular goals, and biannual parent- teacher conferences. In place of letter or numerical subject grades, teachers build a portfolio of each individual’s work highlighting change and growth in particular areas over time. Evaluations measure each child’s progress in comparison to their own previous performance and are used to improve and individualize instruction to meet each learner’s needs.

With no letter grades, how will I know if my child is making progress? (top)

Non-competitive assessment means observing each child's progress in relation to his/her own abilities, not abstractly in relationship to the class average. Children demonstrate understanding through portfolios of their work, contributions to the group projects, and interactions with the teachers. We are fully versed in the state and national education standards and challenge each child to learn a complete repertoire of skills and knowledge that they can build upon and apply to real situations. Regular parent-teacher and parent-teacher-child conferences are held to maintain communication about each child's progress in much more detail than is possible through letter grades.

Will students take the TCAP tests? (top)

No. Private schools are not required to administer standardized tests. We will follow the same standards that are assessed by the TCAP, and we will introduce students to test-taking skills and standardized tests as they approach graduation.

What is a child-centered learning environment? (top)

A child-centered or emergent learning environment is structured with a commitment to understanding how children learn and develop and in capitalizing on their areas of interest. Particular care is taken in planning environments and instruction to support the stages of cognitive development through which children progress. Teachers work to create a concept rich classroom providing materials, tools, opportunities and guidance while encouraging children to make choices, to interact with the environment and other children. Children learn or construct knowledge through meaningful experiences building interest, motivation, and the love of learning. Play is seen as a valuable area in which learning takes place. In play, children are able to create, risk, avoid the fear of failure, be autonomous, and actively engage their minds and bodies. Child-centered environments are risk-friendly environments inviting children to explore, experiment, and solve problems.

Are the basics addressed by a child-centered environment? (top)

A child-centered classroom is not synonymous with a free environment. Teachers work to plan goals, experiences, and projects for individuals that match their learning styles and developmental need, and that take age and grade level skills into consideration. State and National education standards are used as a basis for our academic goals. These goals include competencies in language arts, mathematics, and sciences. A child-centered environment challenges learners to discover and apply basic skills through active exploration, projects and research. In recognizing individual time lines, The Natural Learning School organizes educational proficiency goals around periods of development.

What about language? (top)

Research indicates that literacy, the ability to utilize reading and writing skills to communicate, is a lifelong process that begins at birth. Much of the early brain wiring necessary for literacy takes place while children are learning to use their hands and bodies to explore their environment. Like learning to speak, each student has his or her own time line in learning to read and write. Natural Learning School teachers work to create an environment that supports literacy development in a natural relaxed manner.

Does The Natural Learning School assign homework? (top)

The Natural Learning School recognized the value of your time at home with your children. As such our homework is limited to helping reinforce things that are covered in our classrooms. We limit our homework and suggest you to take these factors into consideration.

Will my student be prepared for the transition to other school environments upon leaving The Natural Learning School? (top)

Any transition can be stressful, and the transition to middle school is no exception. One of the top priorities of educating students at The Natural Learning School is to equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to adapt and succeed in any environment. The curriculum takes particular care in identifying the skills needed to make a successful transition to other school. Being educated at The Natural Learning School is a life enriching experience. Natural Learning School students learn to value themselves as capable, communicative, creative, literate, thinkers. These skills are the skills that will sustain our students as motivated lifelong learners.

Phone: (901) 725-9467 E-mail: dalila@naturalearningschool.com