“We Believes”
In 2002 four women, all mothers and educators, joined together to discuss starting a school. From our backgrounds, readings, and conversations, we shared and cultivated several beliefs about education and how children learn. It was these beliefs named the "We Believes" that drove us toward our ultimate goal: to start a school for our own children and for other local children who would benefit greatly from a different kind of education. We based the Woodland Community School on these beliefs.
JESSIE GRIFFITHS, JANE ZANGER, JANE CROSBY, AND LISEN KERN, FOUNDERS OF WOODLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Children are naturally curious, Deserve respect, love to learn, have great ideas, make sound decisions
Children are naturally curious, Deserve respect, love to learn, have great ideas, make sound decisions
“I love how you get to choose your own Journey project because then I get to study what I want to study. I’m more into it and I dig deeper.”
Cole Wennrich
“My love of learning was cultivated at Woodland because I was given the freedom to explore my interests. For example, this year at Carleton, I rewrote almost all of my essays in order to become a better writer, not to improve my grade in the course. Because of the lack of external pressure at Woodland, I had to develop internal motivation to progress. This still spurs me to work long and hard in pursuit of understanding, without worrying so much about grades.”
— Annie Zanger, Woodland Graduate June, 2010 Post-Woodland Education: The Key School in Annapolis, Maryland Annie is a student at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she plans to major in Latin American Studies and Anthropology.
“Freedom! I like how at Woodland you can choose what you want to work on. We also decide the rules. If you have a problem, you’re guaranteed to fix it!”
— Faustine Ainsworth