Social Curriculum
We often ask children: ”What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Perhaps we should ask: ”What kind of person do you want to be?”
At TCS, we help children to become caring, responsible and respectful individuals through a unique social curriculum that is integrated into everything that children do, see and hear
at school. Children gain life-skills needed to work with others, to resolve differences and problems, and to understand who they are as individuals and what they are capable of.
The social curriculum develops:
RESPECT... Children learn respect from the way our teachers communicate
with students and each other on a daily basis. Students and adults in
the community treat each other with kindness and respect. All are encouraged to use supportive language to promote
discussions, questions and problem solving. Teachers
listen and respond to children's words and messages and create classroom
atmospheres in which children feel safe to learn from their mistakes.
Children are routinely encouraged to make choices and to accept the
consequences of their actions. Students in each classroom participate in creating rules for their
class, which results in respect for them and a greater sense of accountability and understanding regarding them.
INDEPENDENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY... Classroom expectations allow children to develop responsibility.
Children are taught that there are “have to” jobs in school life. For
example, children “have to” go to specialty classes, to complete work at
school and at home, to listen to their teachers, and to follow the
class and school rules. Children also learn that some activities
are choices: all classrooms have a variety of learning centers that
children may choose among. Through their ability to select activities at
appropriate times, children develop the independence and confidence to
pursue their genuine interests. Children are given
opportunities to develop leadership skills. Students may lead morning
meetings, speak at school-wide community meetings, or teach classmates
to do a task.
SELF-CONFIDENCE... Students learn to value their work and to respect others' in an atmosphere in which they receive encouraging feedback. Teachers accent the positive and create activities that encourage children to be self-reliant. Students care about doing their best.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS... Students develop important interpersonal and intrapersonal skills by learning how to communicate, cooperate, share, and empathize with others. Students at TCS learn to:
- recognize the feelings of others and themselves and to develop a vocabulary with which
to express their feelings
- use language to resolve misunderstandings
- take responsibility for solving their own problems instead of turning to adults
- develop listening and leadership skills through participating in class meetings
- develop collaboration skills through working in teams through class jobs and projects
- respect and appreciate diversity
Learning social skills and nurturing moral growth is a developmental process that takes commitment and time. The Children’s School is committed to investing in the future of its children and to giving students the time and support to learn caring behaviors that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
