Our Attitudes and Values

Within the ethics of care practised in our school, feelings, attitudes and values take on a central role as the principles and beliefs that influence one's choices, judgements, behaviours and actions on the path towards individual, community and environmental well-being. In this sense, we believe our school should embody the values which are necessary to generate a caring and sustainable society, and promote enquiry and reflection, an appreciation for multiple perspectives, and a sense of critical consciousness and social responsibility.

‟In the absence of an ethic of care, which celebrates feelings, values and emotionality in communicative relationships, the threads of knowing and being are likely to be woven into a cultural fabric of ephemeral value.”

Peter Taylor

We cannot “teach” democratic values without giving children an opportunity to be truly engaged in the decision-making process; we cannot “teach” children to care without engaging them in giving care to other members of the school community. Trust, honesty, freedom and responsibility, respect, fairness, equity and equality, cooperation, solidarity, generosity and compassion... all need to be lived by the whole school, and not merely “taught” as part of the curriculum.

The adults at the school model a way of relating to the children, to other adults and the surrounding world that will positively influence children's understanding and help them embrace the values of caring, democracy, and agency.

Caring

Kaleide International School aims to be a caring school, a place where everyone –children, staff, parents, and other community members– treat others fairly, with respect, empathy and kindness, and act in a socially responsible way towards all members of the school community, including persons with special education needs. It is an inclusive community where diversity is affirmed within a framework of common values, and where all members participate in decision making and cooperate to promote everyone's well-being. Through their experience of a school environment which is based on caring relationships between all members of the community, children learn to treat each other with empathy and understanding.

Facilitators engage children in conversations about the wider community, about different cultures and traditions, and design activities that promote empathy and solidarity with those who are different or in need.

We want to help children become ethically responsive, and to encourage a way of caring for animals, plants and the environment which is consistent with caring for humans and for the human-made world.

Trust

Trust is at the heart of positive relationships in the school between children, staff, and families. This collective sense of trust comes from feeling that it is safe to speak one's mind, to discuss with openness and honesty what is and isn't working, to make collective decisions, to take risks –even to fail. Trust also requires clear expectations, authenticity, transparency and communication. It involves non-judgemental and empathetic interactions and relies on a non-punitive approach to conflict resolution.

At Kaleide, trust is a core element of our pedagogy; children can trust adults to be there for them and respond to their needs, both on an emotional and an academic level. And facilitators trust children to be competent and self-driven learners, as well as capable of empathy, generosity and kindness.

Connection

The concept of “linkedness” or connection —with oneself, the other(s), the material world, society and the entire eco-system— offers a point of reference for the whole of value education. It is “the development of a positive orientation towards the world as a whole”, as described in the Process Oriented Monitoring System developed by Ferre Laevers.

In a world which has become increasingly individualised, young people are often disconnected from a variety of social links that include both adults and peers.

Children strive to form nurturing relationships, first with their parents and then with peers and other adults. As educators we have a vital role in contributing to strengthening and widening these emotional bonds, and fostering children's sense of connectedness, which lies at the core of prosocial behaviour. At Kaleide we do this by:

• fostering genuine and caring social interactions between all members of the school community;

• allowing children to relate and work with each other in age-mixed groups;

• preserving a continuity between the family and the school;

• creating an amiable and home-like environment in which children and adults feel at ease;

• encouraging children's connection with the wider community;

• nurturing children's connection with the natural world;

• enabling children to feel part of a kaleidoscope of interdependent cultures and identities.

Respect

We believe that children who feel respected learn to respect others. Our school is committed to showing deep respect for children in many different ways:

• attending to and supporting children's individual emotional needs;

• taking each child's own rhythms into account;

• listening to children and incorporating their views, motivations and decisions;

• acknowledging children's cultural, social and family backgrounds;

• supporting children's need for play, free movement, and creative expression;

• fostering children's need for autonomy and self-drive;

• cultivating a sense of wonder and curiosity towards the world around us;

• encouraging children to see respect as the basis for all our interactions.

Our school culture also models respect through the acceptance of others and the appreciation of our differences. We share with the children our respect for nature and for all forms of life, as well as for different cultures, languages, ideas, and perspectives. It is our passion for learning about them –and sharing what we learn– that will nurture in children the seeds of respect and enable them to flourish.

Democracy

Even when small children at the school may not be able to define ‟democracy” or understand what it is, they are growing into a democratic culture that values social involvement.

Children at Kaleide learn participatory democracy in action through being involved in the decision-making process at different levels:

• expressing their opinions and points of view at all times;

• managing their time and choosing between the various learning opportunities at the school;

• deciding about what they want to learn, when, how and with whom;

• contributing to the school rules, and even modifying them through a process based on consent.

At our school, children's voices count and can effect real changes. Being immersed in this democratic decision-making process endows each child with a sense of responsibility that helps to motivate education and generates a transformative sense of belonging for every child.

Responsibility and Social Engagement

A person's degree of responsibility is in direct relationship to her sense of control. At Kaleide International School, children are trusted to make decisions about how they manage their relationships, their learning, their time, and their environment. They also have the capacity to participate in the school's decision-making process, and bring forward proposals in terms of activities, rules and even budgetary expenditure.

The school building aims to be energetically passive, and children can learn about sustainable energy practices and how we use technology to generate energy and reuse resources.

Within our age-mixed groups, the older children learn to behave responsibly towards the younger ones for whom they are models. The school takes into account a child's age and individual circumstances in setting expectations for her, but children are generally expected to collaborate with facilitators in keeping materials and spaces in good order and tidying up after themselves. We give children plenty of opportunities to contribute and “help” in caring for the school environment, and this fosters their autonomy, self-confidence and willingness to assume responsibilities.

Our children are encouraged to reflect and talk about environmental issues (eg litter and recycling), and how to implement responsive solutions in the school environment.

We are committed to nurturing in children a sense of community and a positive and empowered relationship with society. The most effective means of helping children develop this relationship is to give them the opportunity to enter and engage the real world around them. The school seeks to model responsibility for children by:

• putting them in touch with people and organisations that are making a difference in our community and in the world;

• working with them to be an environmentally responsive site;

• and exploring with them ways in which our individual and collective actions can make a difference to society and the environment.

Ultimately, we are confident that the school's culture of responsibility and agency will inspire children to hold a positive vision for the future –to believe that we can do better, help others live better, be kinder and fairer. And to act effectively on that belief.