We believe that all human beings are created equal from birth and throughout the journey. We believe that infants, toddlers and children have the same inherent rights and personhood as adults and therefore must be treated as such. This belief heavily informs our approach to education in that learners have the right to pursue knowledge and information that is relevant and meaningful to them. We also believe in the fundamental nature of community and endeavor to attain the balance of individual strengths adding to the well being of the community as a whole.
We idealize the interconnectedness of all living beings and choose to live in ways that promote our deeply held values of non-violence (pacifism), social and economic justice and environmental sustainability. It is our desire to effectively communicate these values to our learners and community at large.
While we do not adhere to any specific set of religious codes, we strongly believe in the inherent “Divine Spark” in all people and seek to view the world not through a dichotomy of “good” and “bad”, rather as a growing, changing, singular entity continually evolving into the next best version of itself. As such we hold everything within the context of Love, Kindness and Harmonious Living as our guiding principles.
From an excerpt of his talk, Changing Paradigms, an illustrator creates a really great visual for the Sir Ken Robinson's brilliant, profound and accurate commentary on education.
This talk and animation could not better articulate what fuels my own passion for Progressive Education. I hope that watching it helps you more fully to understand what The Village School is about. It's only about 10 minutes.
10 minutes Very well spent.