Our Students are Engaged because the Work they do Matters.
Relationships are fundamental – We’ve long known that strong bonds with adults and peers during childhood are predictive of many positive outcomes. At Highlands Micro School, strong relationships are at the core of everything we do.
Context and meaning are the glue that makes learning stick – Sudoku puzzles are fun, but doing them only makes you better at Sudoku. Instead of “practicing for the real world,” our students solve real problems and construct real ideas here and now. Building their toolkit of skills, experiences and know-how means their ability to take on challenges grows.
Environments of mutual respect help everyone be their best – when students know we respect their ideas they share more, compromise more and give more. They can scale mountains (literally), research peer-reviewed journals to support their arguments, and take responsibility for their learning — who are we to withhold these opportunities?
High standards are not equal to same standards – A child’s emotional, intellectual and physical capacities are highly variable and no two children are the same. So why should success look the same for anyone?