A lot happens inside our walls on any given day. We don’t have homework folders or “cells and bells,” and we certainly DO let our students slide down the halls in their socks! (We have a lot of fun and also wear formal dress occasionally, and kids present to 100 people starting at age 5!)
To reform a system is to change its behavior without changing its structure or its functions. It continues to do the kinds of things it has always done but does some of them differently. Transforming a system means changing its structure and the way it functions. Reforming education is not enough. At Vandermont, we are diligently working hard to transform education. “In its recent Future of Jobs Report, the World Economic Forum estimated that AI will replace some 85 million jobs by 2025. The same report, however, concluded that some 97 million new jobs would be created in the same timeframe due to AI.” (Forbes). We are trying to prepare students for jobs we don’t yet know exist!
We strive to give learners an education of which they not only have academic knowledge but, even more so, the ability to learn, seek knowledge, communicate, solve problems, know their strengths, know their weaknesses, debate on healthy ways to find resolve, self-advocate, collaborate, flourish in a positive and healthy environment yet not be afraid of confrontation and meet it head-on, ask questions, fail, reflect, and try again, strong habits-of-mind like grit, determination, perseverance, self-control, and compassion are part of our daily culture, and learn to use common sense and think logically, (while kids are not experiencing lots of unnecessary rules and regulations made up by layers of admin for lots of things that don’t matter, make sense to children, or promote productive joyful learning).
We are different from what’s currently out there, and we are proud of our school community and all that’s been accomplished in a relatively short amount of time! Visit us and join us in transforming education—accredited K-12!
