FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following is generously contributed by Education For Life based, Living Wisdom School in Portland, Oregon. This is one of our sister schools and is in alignment with our philosophy at Wisdom for life School.

QUESTION:
Your school sounds great, but what happens when children have to leave there and go into the "real world"?

ANSWER:
We are always happy to hear this question because it means you've noticed what an unusually fine environment we have created here at Living Wisdom School. And you know that most schools are not like ours. So the fear arises: "Are we raising 'hothouse children' that thrive in this environment, but wilt as soon as they are transplanted to any other soil?" It's a very good question.

The fact is, children from Living Wisdom Schools thrive in whatever environments they find themselves. Although our school appears to be a sheltered environment, in that we have maintained a kind of innocence and harmony that is rare in schools these days, make no mistake: Our children are not protected from the lessons they need to grow up strong and capable. Much of the credit for the positive environment also belongs to the children. The teachers put before them a formidable challenge, and the children rise to meet it.

For at Living Wisdom School we ask much more of the children than most schools do. We take responsibility in the way that parents do: every aspect of the child is attended to. Our highly enriched academic program also includes training in essential life skills, such as self-understanding, good character, courage, sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others, dynamic energy, will power, positive personal habits, right attitude, skill in resolving conflicts, the ability to be kind and to choose happiness, and developing an inner life.

How do we do it? A very committed and highly trained staff, small classes, individualized attention-these are the foundation stones. The details are the whole educational system we follow called Education for Life. It's much more than we can explain here, but these are some of the keys.

First is the attitude of the teachers toward the children. Every child is respected and celebrated as an individual. We don't start with a predetermined mold that your child has to fit into. We start with the child, guiding each one's development along the lines most natural to him or her. Sometimes a challenge is necessary, so we don't hesitate when necessary to be firm, but always in a positive and loving way, in harmony with the deeper nature of the child we are serving.

You may think this sounds too idealistic to be real. We encourage you to talk to the parents of children now attending Living Wisdom School. Or read their words in the testimonial sheet below.

Starting in the youngest grades, we teach the children how to get along with one another. Harmony and cooperation is an art that can be learned. We help the children understand their own feelings, to put words on what they feel, to work things out. We go farther than just resolving disagreements. We help happy children become more consciously aware of how to, as we put it, "choose happiness" and "practice kindness," rather than feeling they have to just wait and hope that it comes to them.

Everything is designed to help children develop confidence in themselves. A confident child can learn and accomplish anything. Once children lose confidence in themselves, however, learning becomes almost impossible. The emphasis on the strengths of each child is an important characteristic of the Education for Life classroom. The recognition of children's talents, whether academic, physical, social, feeling, or character strengths, gives a huge boost to their confidence.

And what's the result? Children flourish in our environment. And when they leave to other schools, or to participate in extracurricular activities in the greater community such as sports, music, or other hobbies, they take with them an ability to learn new things, to make friends, to stand up for themselves if necessary, to relate appropriately to others, to face and overcome challenges. They are a standout in any environment.

Whenever we take our classes on field trips, the docents will say, "Who are these children? They ask such good questions and are so attentive to the answers. They are mature and harmonious with one another." Even the Captain at the fire station said he had never had such thoughtful questions from any other kindergarten class. One museum guide gave us her resume in the hope that we could hire her as a teacher!

To be strong in oneself-that is the great gift children receive from Living Wisdom School. They own that, and take it with them wherever they go.