A Well-Rounded Experience"There can be no better place than the classroom, that setting where we can invite students to open their minds and think beyond all boundaries to challenge, confront, and change the hidden trauma of shame." -bell hooks (from "Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope")
We never want our students to feel like they are missing out on something, that is why we believe in a well-rounded, social justice oriented, curriculum. We believe in the power of playing. We believe in questioning, exploration, mistakes. We believe in teaching about peace and mother nature. We believe that "children learn through experience with people, symbols and things" and "that content is more than subject matter contained in a textbook" (Sergiovanni 106). We believe in learning opportunities that arise organically outside of planned objectives (Sergiovanni 107). Your child will experience language arts, social studies, science, math, art, music, physical education, computer and computer programming, and library with all subjects promoting the underlying themes of diversity, democracy, and social justice. "Education as the practice of freedom affirms healthy self esteem in students as it promotes their capacity to be aware and live consciously. It teachers them to reflect and act in ways that further self-actualization, rather than conformity to the status quo." -bell hooks ("Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope") |
Family InvolvementWe are living in a time where, unfortunately, many communities are in crisis and as a result our youngest ones don’t always know where to turn. We believe that strong community at school provides a “safety net” for our students; someplace they can be comfortable to speak, listen, make mistakes, and question (Sergiovanni, 26). However, we do NOT believe this is sufficient. We hope that as Ubuntu Education Center grows and finds community, we will in turn help strengthen families and neighborhoods (Sergiovanni 26). We believe that family and community comes first (Sergiovanni 26).
Ubuntu Education Center will:
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Behavior ManagementWe believe in a love ethic. We define love as "a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust" (hooks, 131). "When we teach with love, we are able to respond to the unique concerns of individual students while simultaneously integrating those of the classroom community" (hooks, 131).
We consider our "policies and rules" to be more of moral standards. Furthermore, we recognize and affirm their need to belong to a group; Erik Erickson “believed that belonging provides us with the identity we need to function successfully as individuals” (Sergiovanni 66). In many schools today, belonging is conditional rather than guaranteed based on whether on not the student complies with rules and earns their place to belong (Sergiovanni 67). At Ubuntu Education Center, we value high expectations and student achievements, but love and acceptance does not depend on what students achieve (Sergiovanni 102). Together, students and teachers in each classroom create a set of norms and standards for their classroom living (Sergiovanni, 121). By doing this, we hope to “teach students citizenship and help students become caring adults” (Sergiovanni 121). We want our students to follow norms because they feel a part of our community and are motivated to hold up their end of the agreements, not because we are enforcing rules and rewarding compliance. If conflict arises between other students, we prepare our students ahead of time by teaching them conflict resolution and peacemaking strategies so that they may solve the conflict themselves while still respecting the views of others (Sergiovanni 134). |
Clubs and ActivitiesWe are open to adding any clubs and activities that our students show enough interest in. We welcome parents, community members, local artists, and teachers to share their passions with our students in order to extend their learning. Below is a list of clubs that have been offered in the past or are currently offered.
Playing with Palettes: After school on Mondays, a local artist collaborates with our art teacher to provide an opportunity for our budding artists to explore their creative spirit. "Lego" Crazy!: Little future architects work to build models out of legos after school on Tuesday with one of our teachers. Green Thumbs: Our students who are most passionate about our community garden and recycling efforts meet once a week during their lunch with equally passionate teachers. They organize our recycling programs, compost system, and help with our community garden. Student Council: Once a week our student council makes themselves available to hear concerns from our student population. They then prepare these concerns to present to school leaders every other week. The student council members and staff work together to find solutions to any problems and collaborate on how we can meet the needs of our students. The Programmers: Computer enthusiasts work with our computer teacher after school on Thursdays to further their education about computer programming and gaming and the role that it can play in schools. They also help with suggestions for our teacher about incorporating technology into our classrooms in a way that the students find most engaging. |