I have my own personal opinions on public schools and the flaws with them.
I won't really get into that on this posting today but I do want to know if you moms have experience with the progressive and or Constructivist schools? I don't think any even Exist in the Dallas Area.
By progressive, I mean a focus on the whole child, on project-based learning and authentic experiences and assignments rather than worksheets, on writing and art and "portfolio" assessments rather than tests. A place that does not emphasize tests and grades and gives only a developmentally appropriate level of homework. A nurturing community that helps each kid develop at their own pace.
What is one to do if you cant find similar schools and fear that your child will lose her spark and her love of learning in what seems to be a testing factory? Are there like-minded parents out there? Are they forming charter schools that have a progressive philosophy? What can I do?
I have friends who live far away that are invested in schools like these but I can't find any near Dallas Texas area.... Any like minded parents??? How do you even go about locating schools like this?
I think in the DFW area the closest thing to what you're looking for is montessori schools. As with anything else, montessoris are going to differ from school to school but I think with some reseach you might find a good fit.
There are many like-minded teachers and parents in schools throughout the area, but I don't know of any progressive schools - well, maybe there are some for the lower grades, but I teach high school. Many of the teachers I work with, including myself, have a progressive philosophy, and teach and assess our students through a project-based curriculum, but we are constantly being thrown off-course by the many state required standardized tests.
My daughter goes to a progressive school. You can look up NAIS, but you would really need to go to the school to see if they are truly progressive and emergent. Another way to go to look up progressive / Dallas and/or Reggio Emelia / Dallas...
Lots of like minded parents, but we're scattered across the U.S. Even at my daughter's school I know I will have to fight against homework and worksheets, but the more you band together with other parents, even at local schools, the more pressure, the better for our kids.
i share your philosophy. and i couldn't afford montessori (and don't know of anything like that for the older grades) so i homeschooled.
and it was awesome!
good luck.
khairete
S.
I haven't found it yet in our area . . . our solution has been to homeschool.
I looked around on line for you. I could not find any Waldorf/Steiner schools in your area (unless Woodland Hills is, and I don't know that they are open yet). You might consider a Montessori school. My son's does not have tests, the kids learn at their own pace, they work individually or in pairs. They do not test and do not have homework. The focus in on the development of the whole child. That said - all Montessori schools are different. A friends son goes to one maybe a mile from ours - they give lots of homework, have a completely different philosophy on discipline and do not seem very 'Montessori' to me.
There is always home schooling. There are definitely groups of progressive home schooling parents. I would suspect there are more in areas like Texas and the south where parents don't have a good progressive public option.
Yes they exist. There are quite a few Steiner Schools around where I live.
I know when I was looking a few years back I did find at least one Montessori that went to high school- I think in Rowlett or Wylie or something like that.
