Schools take a different approach to learning
When Diane Swiatek opened the doors of Banbury Crossroads School in 1979, private schools were a rare sight in Calgary.
“Growing up, I had never given any thought to what a school could or should be and I think people in general didn’t question how children were being educated,” says Swiatek. “There was no other choice.”
That all changed when she read Summerhill, by A.S. Neill. Published in 1960, the book challenged readers to rethink their approach to education and became an instant bestseller.
“Summerhill made me realize that there were different ways of helping children to learn,” explains Banbury’s founder and director. “I wanted to start a school where I could offer a more humanitarian, nurturing and familial approach that would meet the needs of individual children.”
Banbury Crossroads, now in its 38th year of operation, welcomes students from preschool to Grade 12.
“Responsible decision-making is a focus at Banbury,” says Swiatek. “Being self-sufficient and taking ownership helps students to set goals, manage their time and decide how they are going to spend their days. This prepares them to effectively handle the crucial decisions they face upon graduation and throughout their adult lives.”
Students at Banbury Crossroads work at their own pace, with tutorial instruction, individually or in small groups. Classes are made up of multi-aged groups: preschool to Grade 1, grades 2 to 6 and grades 7 to 12.
“Self-directed learning does not mean that we take a completely hands-off approach,” says Swiatek. “There are usually 10 students per class, which means teachers have time to work with every child every day. Teachers also check in with students regularly to see if they are achieving the goals they have set for themselves.”
The process is somewhat similar at North Point School for Boys where students spend most of the day in mixed grade groupings (grades 1-3, grades 4-6 and grades 7-9) and move fluidly through the curriculum based on ability.
Founded in 2015, Calgary’s only private all-boys school welcomes children from kindergarten to Grade 9.
“Typically a private school has a very narrow focus in terms of admissions requirements,” explains Brent Devost, head of school at North Point School for Boys. “We pride ourselves on being broader in our admissions approach. Our individualized programming approach and mixed grade groupings allow us to accept students with varying levels and abilities.
“We focus on where boys are at and work towards helping them master the skills they will need to be successful later in life.”
Kim Pirie, North Point’s founder and visionary and a mother of three boys, felt the needs of all boys were not being met in Calgary’s private and public learning institutions.
“North Point acknowledges that there are differences in the way that boys and girls learn and creates a learning environment that takes this into account,” says Devost. “Our curriculum includes more kinesthetic and sensory experiences, which allows boys to be more engaged in their learning.”
Meanwhile, the energy is very different at the Calgary Waldorf School where 275 preschool to Grade 9 students are taught according to the educational principles of Rudolf Steiner. There are approximately 1,200 independent Waldorf schools around the globe, all of which seek to match curriculum with Steiner’s phases of child development.
“Waldorf schools focus on slowing down childhood,” explains Cathie Foote, school administrator at the Calgary Waldorf School. “We introduce certain things later in a child’s education in an effort to introduce the right material, in the right way, at the right time.”
Academics are de-emphasized in preschool and kindergarten and children are encouraged to engage in free and imaginative play. Toys are less defined than usual; children play with natural materials and objects such as wood, water, sand, stones, shells, nuts, fabric and wool.
Throughout their education, teachings are embedded into art, music, handcrafts, woodwork and physical and outdoor activities. For example, a teacher might teach his or her students about numeracy by asking students to cut a vegetable into a certain number of pieces as they prepare soup.
“We believe that the deepest form of learning comes through direct human connection,” says Foote. “That’s why Waldorf schools build strong, long-term student-teacher relationships by teachers staying with their class for a number of years. In other words, a student might have the same core class teacher for elementary school, or for junior high, or even for all of grades 1 to 9.”
Different as they may be, all three schools have one thing in common; they offer a truly unique approach to education.