FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you have questions about our new private school?
Our unique model provides blends the best elements of homeschool alternative with Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf elements for a one-of-a-kind approach. We've listed many of our FAQs below, but probably haven't covered everything.
General
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TWS is a learner-driven community, which means that learners (students) have agency over their learning experiences and share their experiences with their peers. This creates a thriving community where everyone works to raise each other up. We focus on cultivating a love of learning, a growth mindset, and the ability to drive your own learning. Tangible differences in our community to a traditional education include:
• Learner-driven, self-paced learning
• Learner self-governance
• Multi-age and multi-level studio environment, instead of classrooms organized by age and assigned a grade level
• Strong community
• No homework, grades, or regular testing
• Blended hands-on and e-learning
• Mastery learning and student portfolios of achievements rather than grades
• Socratic discussion and guides to foster independent, critical thinking
• Family travel is encouraged
• Strong emphasis on all-weather outdoor experiences -
The Wilder School is an independent (private), Montessori-inspired micro-school.
We draw upon Maria Montessori’s child-honoring methods, including mixed-age studios, student choice within limits, large blocks of work time, learning through “discovery,” and freedom of movement in the classroom.
We also incorporate the best of other learning models, including Reggio Emelia and Waldorf, to meet the developmental needs of our community.
We then incorporate the best eLearning tools and the Socratic method to facilitate individually paced learning and stimulate critical thinking. This blended learning method enables students to be strong, independent learners.
We strongly believe that everyone who walks through our doors has a gift that can be honed to impact the world in a profound way. Everyone has the spark of genius. -
The Wilder School meets the five characteristics of micro-schools.
Has no more than 150 students, but are often smaller—from around 10 to a few dozen students;
Multiple ages learn together in a blended-age classroom;
Teachers act as guides instead of teachers;
There’s a heavy emphasis on digital and project-based learning; and
Education is highly personalized.We are purposefully small, allowing us to develop and maintain a highly personalized and learner-driven culture.
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The Wilder School is part of an information-sharing, affiliate network that is supported by the founding Acton Academy in Austin, Texas. This network shares our passion for revolutionizing education and has agreed to protect a learner-driven environment. Methods are modeled after the founding Acton and vary from school to school based on the school’s leadership and the composition of its learner community.
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Our learners arrive the day begins at 8:00am and we dismiss at 3:00pm. We offer large blocks of time for core skills and hands-on project work, with time dedicated each week to enrichment activities.
Our calendar is based on a 10 month school year (September to June) in which 5-7 week sessions are punctuated by a week break.
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We are accredited by the International Association of Learner-Driven Schools (IALDS). TWS is also an approved private school and registered as such with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
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Early drop-off and After School care is offered daily when school is in session for an additional fee. Various enrichment activities are offered in our after-school program on a rotating basis.
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We welcome the opportunity to learn more about each child and to serve them through our unique learning method. While we are not trained or staffed to serve children with serious learning disabilities, special needs, or who need specialized attention, we have seen children with mild to moderate learning disabilities succeed in an environment that is rich with movement, creativity, and hands-on exploration.
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No. We lease space from St. Mary’s School in Winchester, Massachusetts however we remain a secular school. Children at our school are exposed to various religions in our study of civilization.
Learning Model
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Acton Academy founder Jeff Sandefer coined the term “learner-driven community,” and we think it captures the two most important aspects of our school. First, we are self-directed, meaning that students are in charge of their own learning. Second, we are a community of learners in which students are bound together by their pledge to hold themselves and each other to high standards.
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Although we don't issue grades to students, their progress is measured and tracked through a variety of tools and systems. Our badge system outlines expectations for reading, writing, math, and social/emotional progress by year. Students work with a Guide to differentiate their core curriculum and set daily, weekly, and/or session goals. They showcase their mastery by meeting their goals, earning badges, assembling portfolios, and taking part in public exhibitions of their work.
Student goals connect to the mastery of specific curriculum objectives through our online learning tools which provide progress snapshots. These evaluations and assessments are shared between parents, staff, and students in regular meetings, and parents are able to review student portfolios. For more on student progress measurement, see “How do I know if my child is growing morally and intellectually?” by Acton founder Laura Sandefer. -
An independent learner can follow instructions, research questions, solve problems, participate in discussions, and strive for mastery. Perhaps most importantly, an independent learner can figure out a solution to a roadblock without asking an adult for help. Elementary school students work toward becoming independent learners and earning an independent learner badge is the final step before moving on to middle school.
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In the traditional educational model, the teacher develops a lesson plan and timeframe for the class as a whole; when the time for that topic is exhausted, the entire class moves on, despite widely varying degrees of mastery over the material. In contrast, mastery learning allows students to proceed at varying rates toward the same level of learning. Our curriculum is not structured in terms of time, but in terms of target levels of comprehension and achievement. We use a mastery learning approach to core subjects such as math, reading, and writing. For more on mastery learning, watch “Sal Khan on Digital and Physical Learning” or read “5 Myths about Mastery-Based Learning.”
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In the Socratic method, an adult serves as a guide, setting up scenarios and asking questions without providing answers or validation. We use the Socratic method because research demonstrates that this process is a vehicle for critical thinking, requiring students to create arguments to support their beliefs, while simultaneously developing deep learning of the topic at hand.
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At The Wilder School, we believe in the power of balance. Using the incredible, self-paced eLearning tools now available, we are able to provide the rigor needed for learning math, vocabulary, spelling and grammar in about 90 minutes each day, while freeing up the rest of the day for engaging, project-based learning. The two are highly complementary.
Admissions
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Families and children who love to learn, who are curious, self-motivated, and respectful. Our environment is an accelerator for the independent learner who tackles challenging questions, enjoys real word challenges, and strives for mastery.
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A student’s ability to set and track goals in order to evaluate progress is essential to success in a student-driven, individualized learning program. Students need a lot of practice setting specific, measurable goals that are challenging and realistic.
Our students are guided to set goals, track progress, and establish a rhythm of meeting with peers to hold each other accountable. In addition, students will develop an agreement with the guides to set boundaries for acceptable behavior and rules for engagement in the classroom.
We believe that learning to set goals and challenge yourself are critical skills for the real world. -
TWS is committed to unpacking systemic racism in the education system. We honor diversity in our staff hiring, family enrollment, and curriculum. We have honest and difficult conversations and engage our learners in real historical (past and present) lessons. We hope the school can educate, inspire, and awaken this generation of children as allies for all.
We welcome families of all structure, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, and ethnicity.