Through the perseverance & vision of a handful of parents in our community, The Knowing Garden celebrated their first day of school on Monday, September 12, 2011! Zoë had spent two blissful years at Riviera PlaySchool, & when the time came for her to go to kindergarten, I wished that she could continue her education in a similar environment of constructivist methodologies, cooperative learning, student-centered exploration, & whole child philosophies. I especially hoped for a school in which the teacher-student ratio would be favorably low. Other parents from Riviera PlaySchool hoped for the same–& they courageously embarked on a year-long journey of forming a private school driven by these ideas. We are so grateful for their hard work in bringing this school into being! And we have the opportunity as parents to be involved hands-on & to contribute our own talents & gifts. Max & I had long considered home-schooling, but the reality of our schedules with three children left us feeling a bit daunted. Now, we feel like we have the best of both worlds–a school that practices the values we embrace at home, a community of parents that share the responsibility of educating our children, & an enthusiastic, creative teacher who is clearly in love with this age group.

The first week, a location was being finalized for the school, so the class met at a local park. I was so excited to see them meeting in the shade of a glorious old tree, the sunshine glowing around them…