It’s elementary

“Has anyone seen my balloon?”

“Do you want to race with me?”

“I’ll be the judge, okay guys? On your mark, get set, GO!”

It is Science day in my daughter’s class and I am working with a group of 10 children making balloon rockets. They are studying air—learning that, although we can’t see it, it is there. For an hour we fill balloons and talk about air pressure, make predictions, and test them with balloon races. I see my child interacting with her class mates and learning about science because I am right there with her. They are a delightful crowd. As a parent volunteer at an alternative school, I am getting to know each one of them.

Alternative schools are free public schools that that are open to all students. They follow the same curriculum as other schools in the district but have the freedom to operate differently from the larger public elementaries. According to the Lake Washington district website, “Choice schools offer innovative approaches to education. Learning in subject areas is connected to an integrated curriculum, in some case organized around themes. Many classes are multi-age and emphasize project-based learning. Parent involvement is encouraged and expected.”

My daughter’s school, Community School in Kirkland, has three classrooms with two grades combined in each one. The entire school can fit in one yellow school bus. We’ve been impressed by the commitment to academics. We follow her progress closely although there are no grades and even the conferences are student led.

At our first teacher conference I was delighted to see a portfolio of my child’s many stories, all illustrated, all written with invented spelling. In just two months her writing progressed from a wild jumble to paragraphs of phonetically spelled stories that I could read along with her. Her teacher was present to provide gentle suggestions, and my daughter glowed with pride as she showed us each carefully crafted page.

Math journal came next, and it was focused on measurements. There were my child’s drawings of equipment and open-ended questions that invited exploration, experimentation, and hands-on learning. We got a tour around the classroom with its child-sized chars and tables arranged in different little groups. We saw the classroom library and the calendar and daily chart of the weather. At this very first conference of the year I saw that my daughter used art, writing, and number skills. I saw her confidence with her schoolwork and her comfort with her place in the school. She was not compared to other students, but it was clear to me that she’d made wonderful academic progress.

My daughter does not consider it work at all. If I ask her what she did in school she’ll say, “We played a game where we tried to make words with the letters in our names. We found out how much stuff could fit in different sized cups for math journal. I wrote a story about finding a kitten. And we did reading.” I smile, wondering what she does with all this reading time, since she had not yet started to read on her own. But then she surprised me, “During reading time I read to my partner because she doesn’t know how to read yet.” Her teacher tells her she does not have to be perfect, just try her best. We did a dance in the kitchen to celebrate!

But it is really no surprise. Reading is highly emphasized at her school and on any given day children may read with parent volunteers, read with an older student buddy, or read to one of their classmates. A reading specialist works with the class and the teacher works with small groups. Rather than drilling and testing her, they teach her the tools to figure out reading for herself, and the positive environment makes her eager to put them to use. Children bloom when supported and nurtured.

Positive classroom discipline is another cornerstone of the alternative school experience. The teachers are experts at teaching children techniques to resolve conflicts. The social and emotional development of the students is given high priority and it shows in the time spent on working with the children. Teachers emphasize personal responsibility and respect for others rather than rewards and punishments. Children learn that they are in control of the choices they make, and a high value is put on students showing consideration for others and taking responsibility for themselves

The culture of the school is a remarkable thing, and it is due in large part to the presence of parents. Every day parents are at the school reading to students, facilitating art projects, or supervising the playground. Parents go to camp with the students twice a year. Adults and children are on a first name basis and treat each other with a mutual respect. No one is excluded on the playground, the golden rule being that everyone is included. A morning snack is brought by a different parent each day and includes healthy whole foods (no junk food allowed). The older students mentor younger ones, and the younger ones want to be just like them. It’s a community of shared values. The pressure to conform to a fast-paced consumer culture is replaced by a preservation of childhood and a feeling of family.

At the end of science class the children stand outside near the playground and release their balloons up toward the sky. They sputter and spin out as the children laugh and chase after them. The kids may not realize it, but the child centered, child respectful, joyful education they are experiencing is a rare gift. I am surrounded by children who are kind and happy, children who are learning, and parents who share their love and their values with their children by staying involved in their lives. I realize they’ve all passed the test with flying colors.

Community School is one of three alternative elementaries in the Lake Washigton School district. The Northshore district’s alternative program is called “PACE” and Seattle Schools offer several options for alternative elementary education. To find out more, check out your local school district website and talk to parents in your community. Specific admissions processes vary by district and school.