We view education as an act of liberation and community. We believe all children to be inherently worthy and knowledgeable, not simply vessels to fill and mold. We believe in a learning culture where students are our guides and incorporating their ideas and questions into the classroom curriculum as not only valid but necessary.
We celebrate imagination and love, curiosity and empathy, consent and boundaries.
Our Philosophy
We depend upon practices of social and restorative justice in all aspects of our programming and we are committed to promoting healing and humanity over punishment and exclusion. We give ourselves and others permission to try new things as well as permission to fail. We weave these values explicitly into our curriculum, exploring the child’s sense of self, respect for others, injustice and oppression, social movements, and action. We will not only recognize and celebrate our students’ cultural diversity, but we will openly discuss and critique how these differences can be experienced as oppression and the impacts on various groups of people.
We believe in modeling and fostering a sense of natural and community stewardship in our staff and students and will ensure ample opportunities for outdoor exploration. We encourage a sense of understanding and oneness with the natural world as it is the basis of our existence. As citizens, we are not only responsible for ourselves and our community but also how our decisions affect the natural environment around us. We recognize our roles in the ecologies of our systems, both natural and social, and work to ensure the health and success of our shared futures.
We believe in accessible education and we will work to remove obstacles that hinder families’ ability to join us. We believe that school and home work in tandem to create an environment that nurtures children, allowing them to grow into strong, loving, imaginative citizens. We recognize that all families have different styles of engagement and varying abilities to do so and we will work with each family to ensure that we provide a variety of opportunities to participate in our school community. We will initiate and maintain open lines of communication with families and solicit their input. Our program will act as a resource to connect families to each other, their communities and neighborhood programs. We will partner with neighboring businesses and nonprofits to create a robust community hub where all feel welcomed and supported.
Our community includes our teaching staff, and as a program we are committed to creating a working atmosphere that is safe, supportive and responsive. We commit to open communication and collaboration and actively seek the input of our staff members. We will provide learning opportunities and supportive resources while encouraging the well-being of each staff member. We will provide a livable wage and clear and attainable expectations. We recognize and celebrate that our staff are not just members of our community but have families and needs outside of our program.
Anti-Racism, Anti-Bias Statement
Children live in and move through the same world we do. They live the same experiences we do and we have an obligation to provide the scaffolding, support and education, to help them understand that world fully. We believe that every child deserves an education that allows them to explore themselves and their questions in all iterations. Early education is a critical stage of development as this is when children are first understanding the societal messages they are receiving about themselves, their families and their place in the world.
We believe in working to create an inclusive community that encourages conversations among children and adults about all types of human differences. Discussions may include topics such as: culture, race, language, physical, mental, social-emotional abilities, learning styles, ethnicity, family structure, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, socioeconomic differences, and our many ways of being. We believe in supporting both children and adults to listen to each other with open minds, and to reserve judgment when we encounter views with which we disagree.
An anti-bias approach encourages children to:
- be proud of themselves and their families
- respect a range of human differences
- recognize unfairness and bias
- speak up for what is right
When children learn about similarities and differences in people and communities, they are encouraged to act in ways that reflect anti-bias values and to stand up for things they feel are unfair.
ONE Arts Community School 