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- What grades does the school teach?
- What is a typical day at the school like?
- Is this a homeschool program?
- What do I do with my small children during the weekly topic presentations?
- What about state standards and testing?
- Everything sounds great, but do the children learn math, writing, spelling skills, etc? How is this accomplished?
- Does this type of schooling prepare them for high school and then hopefully college? Does this type of education provide classes and education that will allow them to progress to colleges? Do colleges recognize this type of alternative education?
- If at any time one of your students returned to a traditional school, would they be able to be placed in the grade level that corresponds with their age?
- What I really want to know is will they have the knowledge required and or expected?
- I know that traditional schools have criteria that they have to meet, how does Celebration do this?
- Can children really only attend school two days per week?
- How do you measure their progress?
What grades does the school teach?
We offer programs that are generally suited for ages 6-17. We do not segregate children according to age, grade, or ability. Rather, children are able to learn with the children they choose to work with.
What is a typical day at the school like?
A better question would be, "What is a typical week at the school like?"
Actually, the week can vary from student to student. Here is a possible schedule:
- Monday: Two-hour topic introduction activities
This is where a group of students meet together for a variety of learning experiences, centered on a different topic each week. The students may take home books on the subject, as well as a list of activities that they may do at home for follow-up.
- Tuesday: Field trip or "park" day
"Being there" experiences are an integral part of what we do. We have about two field trips a month, as well as two "park" days at Disneyland, each relating to the topic of that week.
- Wednesday: Individual projects at home
- Thursday: Extra-curricular classes
These are generally 6-week classes that are more focused on a particular subject. Past offerings include math games, art, gymnastics, and filmmaking, etc.
- Friday: Indiviual projects or free time
We are also exploring the idea of offering full-time school.
Is this a homeschool program?
You can call it that if you like, since so much of the work is done at home. Some people might call it Thomas Jefferson Education style, because the students get to choose what activities they do, and they work with mentors. Some might call it Mom school because it is a part-time school run by a mom. Some might call it University Model, because students go to school only twice a week. Some people would call it a brain-compatible school since... it is. But we call it Celebration Education!
What do I do with my small children during the weekly topic presentations?
You are welcome to bring your younger children. They may participate with the older children if they choose to, at no additional cost. Should the younger children need assistance, their parents should attend to them. Additionally, younger children should not be permitted to become a distraction for the older students.
What about state standards and testing?
State standards and testing are for the benefit and convenience of the school system, not the children.
Standardized testing is a tool to determine how the schools and teachers are doing, but it does not help the children get ahead. As a matter of fact, testing can get in the way of true learning.
You can view the California state standards at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/ . This page says, "Content standards were designed to encourage the highest achievement of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level." This is assuming that all children are alike and should learn certain things at certain times of their lives. The public schools are required to cover so much (whether or not the children actually learn the content), that it is necessary to put it all into one big master plan.
However, as far as true learning goes, children do not learn according to what (to them) is an arbitrary list of requirements. The standards actually get in the way of children's interest and inhibit their natural curiosity. They learn so much more and quicker when it is meaningful to them.
That said, our tutors and mentors have the opportunity to do informal assessments as to how each child is doing academically. They can make recommendations to the students to encourage them in areas that may need more attention.
Celebration Education does not require that all students be at standardized grade levels. We recognize that each child has intelligences that may or may not be recognized academically. The children are welcome to work on any intelligences that suit them, thus bringing out their natural genius. We have found that children who fall behind academically and desire to catch up can do so easily when they choose to.
We expect each child to do their best within their individual abilities. Children are allowed to study things beyond the state standards and standardized tests.
 Everything sounds great, but do the children learn math, writing, spelling skills, etc? How is this accomplished?
Celebration integrates all the subjects into the central theme. In traditional schools, the children get a set time to study each subject, and then they have to put it away and pull out the next subject. At Celebration, all the subjects are integrated together in a very organic fashion. The subjects are woven together in such a way that the children may not even realize all the subjects they've covered in one exercise. They read, write, discover, and solve all in one topic.
For example, when we learned about boats, the children found out about boats from around the world (social studies, geography, history). They were invited to write a poem (writing, spelling), or song (music), or make a painting (art) about boats. They were also given the opportunity to try some buoyancy experiments to chart how much water is displaced based on the mass of the object (science, math). They also had access to a variety of books on boats that they could choose to read on their own time (reading).
Does this type of schooling prepare them for high school and then hopefully college? Does this type of education provide classes and education that will allow them to progress to colleges? Do colleges recognize this type of alternative education?
Yes, yes, and yes. The children can learn quickly in this environment. They get to where they love to learn and they do it on their own time. For high school students, there is a lot of flexibility. We work with the student to make a plan for high school and the student is responsible for following through with the plans, whether it is independent work, AP classes, or internships. Colleges like these students because they are natural learners who don't need handholding in college. Also, more than having a transcript at the end of the four years, a student can have an impressive portfolio of work to that stands out to admissions, because they will have been working on their own projects, not doing whatever everyone else is doing. Every college is different, so no matter what high school a child attends, it would be a good idea to find out from prospective colleges what their expectations are. Celebration students can design their high school career directly for a particular college's admissions policies.
 If at any time one of your students returned to a traditional school, would they be able to be placed in the grade level that corresponds with their age?
Yes.
Students returning to a traditional school are often ahead of their peers, but sometimes behind. This is because we do not confine the children to the state standards, but allow them to learn at their own pace, making what they are learning more meaningful for themselves and allowing them to explore subjects that are not on the test. Nevertheless, for students who have had to return to a traditional school, we have found that there is an adjustment period. I could take up to six months for the child to fall back to or catch up to where they would be if they were in the traditional school all along. But having been in a true learning environment, many children who return to a traditional school tend to become bored more easily. The classroom pace is generally too slow for children who have grown accustomed to working at their own pace. Another difference we have noticed is that children from alternative schools who choose a traditional school for high school have a higher chance of getting into leadership positions because they are more accustomed to thinking and acting independently.
What I really want to know is will they have the knowledge required and or expected?
Just because all the standards were "covered" it does not mean that it was all learned. Most people do not remember much of anything that they learned in their school years. But children who are allowed to follow their interests and are given adequate time to study and explore, actually will learn the subjects because they were interested in them. They are also the most proficient readers because they have more time for reading.
On top of it all, they will have acquired the skill of knowing how to learn. This is something that most people don't know. They were taught in school that learning is difficult and they avoid it as adults. Rather, when learning is fun and the children are allowed to teach themselves, they acquire a life-long skill that enhances all other skills. You know -- give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. The workforce that today's children will be entering cannot even be imagined today. The most important thing that they can learn at school is how to learn, so that they can most easily adapt to the future world.
 I know that traditional schools have criteria that they have to meet, how does Celebration do this?
We do not have certain criteria for the children. We believe that every child has their own genius and it would be inappropriate to ignore that genius in order to make the child just like all the others. Rather, by working one-on-one with each child, Celebration can recognize and encourage each child's individual genius.
Can children really only attend school two days per week?
Yes. Those are the times when the subjects are introduced to the children and they have the opportunity to collaborate with other children. Also, we go on field trips in order for the children to have those deep learning experiences. Their time at home is opportunity for them to spend the day reading and working on their own projects.
We are also developing a full-time option.
How do you measure their progress?
When working with a child in a more personal setting, it is easy to tell how well they are doing. We expect that each child will do his or her personal best. Each child's progress is measured against himself only, to see that they are progressing as best they can. We find that the children do like to do well and would prefer to please their parents and teachers. A student does not choose to fall behind in a traditional school, but falling behind is an indication that the methods being used or information presented are not suited for that child.
More questions? Please Contact us!
© 2006Celebration Education P.O. Box 603, Yucaipa, CA 92399 Ph:(909) 446-5962 Email
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