Holistic Education
Elementary School

Philosophy

Development of Person

At The Holistic Education Elementary School of Portland we feel that a distinction must be made between what a person is and what a person knows. With this distinction, what a person is takes precedence, because the quality of a person's being (personal qualities, nature, personality, etc.) determines more of a person's quality of life than is determined by a person's knowledge.

Consequently, we feel that education should be principally concerned with the development of a young person's "state of being"-their integrity, resilience, joi de vivre, sensitivity, social responsibility, courage in facing the challenges of living, care for the deepest or most transcendent aspect of living, etc. This priority is not to be confused with a disinterest in developing the intellect. On the contrary, the intellect is a very important part of every person, but it is only a part. Holistic Education has traditionally felt that most approaches to education are too exclusively concerned with the intellect and the development of the "person" is neglected.

The Holistic Education Elementary School of Portland benefits from the many developments and innovations in Holistic Education through its Holistic Education Research Unit. This research unit, though separate from the school, will be able to share with the teachers and administrators what it learns from its investigations of many holistic education initiatives that exist around the world. The Holistic Education Research Unit has been engaged in research for more than two years and employs three people with doctoral degrees in Education and Research. The Holistic Education Research Unit is a resource for the teachers as well as means for the teachers to scrutinize their own practice. Consequently, we feel that the education of the children attending the Holistic Education Elementary School will have an unusually rich resource that will inform, support, and assist the students' full development.

Development of Intellect

There has been much scholarly debate as to just what the intellect is, but for the sake of simplicity let us take the intellect to mean all of the mental processing that principally involves concepts. This extends the concern for intellect beyond the traditional "Three Rs" and entails refining conceptual engagements with many aspects of life: the social, environmental, psychological, aesthetic, etc. While conceptual engagement with such things should not reach beyond what is developmentally appropriate for any child, all children - even very young ones - have ideas about who they like and why, about plants and animals, about fear and happiness, and of what they think is nice looking.

Of course, The Holistic Education Elementary School will also engage in rigorous traditional academic learning, but it will try to do so in ways which relate to the meaning structures of the students' lives. If learning is not related to meaning, it too easily becomes a chore, and the needed learning is slow and onerous. We hold intellectual development to be far too important to allow it to be marginalized in a child's life and learning to be so central to life that a child must not be allowed to develop a distaste for it.

Preparation for Further Studies

Frequently, stages of schooling are thought of as only preparation for the next stage. We agree with John Dewey who said that "Learning is a process of living, not a preparation for it." We feel it is important that children engage in learning for its own sake (and not simply to advance to the next stage of education), as this seems to be a basis for self motivation and becoming a life long learner. Children must certainly be prepared for education after elementary school so that, along with our more substantive concerns (development of the person), is the dedication to having our students finish their studies at The Holistic Education Elementary School well prepared for their further education.

For a more complete introduction to Holistic Education, we invite you to browse our web pages for first time visitors.