All Are Welcome

I welcome any race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability*, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and socio-economic background. 

*I am not trained in special education, only gifted education. If your child is 2e, this group is for you. But we will be focusing on the gifted aspect of it.

Values

  • I welcome and respect differing opinions and beliefs

  • I humbly keep an open mind and are happy when I learn I was wrong, as I just became wiser

  • I strive to quickly forgive and apologize when I wrong someone

  • I value my own as the time of other people

  • All people, children and adults, have a unique view and experience in the world. I respect and support you in expressing your unique views, interests, beliefs, and needs.

  • I use my talents and time to enjoy life, support and care about others, and try help solve the many pressing problems in our world today

  • Every detail matters, as the details make up the whole. When we strive to attend to the detail, we strive to perfect ourselves and the world.

  • The world is an interdependent web and I try to be a positive catalyst in it

  • Finally, I believe in the scientific method, critical thinking, humor, and dislike consumerism, dogmatism and fundamentalism of any flavor.

Educational Beliefs

I want our children to feel empowered in the world by teaching them the skills they need to lead an economically, emotionally, and spiritually free life.

Rigorous curriculum needs to be customized in speed and depth to the students interests and needs.

No behaviorist positive reinforcement and time-outs as we think they are harmful for the long-term development of internal motivation. For further reading we recommend Unconditional Parenting and Free to Learn.

Children learn at a level that challenges and excites them. We strive to find the student's Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky's theory) and provide the scaffolding to achieve learning playfully.

Focused work and striving to improve the world and oneself are important values we want to transmit to our child. Also, precision and attention to detail, as they can mean the difference between life and death if you work in certain professions. 

What characteristics and skills do I want to foster in my students?

Empathy, sensitivity, curiosity, constantly asking questions, passion to find answers.

Imagination, day-dreaming (read Ungifted for research on it), courage, creative problem-solving, willfulness and questioning authority.

Knowing how to be in the moment and experience flow.

Flexible thinking, improv mentality of "yes, and".

High level of continued focus, persistence, and joy of reading.

Being a Mensch, and self-care (knowing when they need food, water, rest, company, help, new challenges).

Precision in expression, high level of math skills, multi-lingual fluency, and general knowledge.