Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/166026
FEATURE Goleta Family School students get to know each other better during a snacktime meet-and-greet. students join their individual "tribes" consisting of students from different grade levels in the K-6 school. Sitting cross-legged in circles, they share snacks and "get to know each other better as people," explains a student. The program is designed to encourage self-esteem and cooperative problem-solving, and give children a "voice" in the classroom. After snacks, students enter their multiage classrooms, sitting on the floor or on couches, working at their own pace in math and English in a noncompetitive setting. Some of the students — and even a teacher — wear tie-dye. Students have names like Skye, Canyon and Aurora. Has this writer gone back in time to the 1960s? No. Welcome to the Goleta Family School, an alternative school where there are no letter grades, students and parents go to school, learning is fun, and there's a waiting list a mile long. "This isn't for families who want a traditional desk and row classroom," explains Allison Moehlis, whose daughters Teagan and Kaia attend the school. "There aren't any desks." Near Santa Barbara, the school has just three teachers (United Teaching Professionals/Goleta) and approximately 60 students. The "school within a school" is on a larger campus, but operates independently. Teachers teach according to state standards, but choose their own curriculum. Students enjoy art, music and field trips. Social curriculum — including mutual respect, attentive listening and appreciation — is woven into academics. Classrooms have multiple grades, but students are not taught by grade level, which is the norm in most combination classes. Instead, grouping is by ability and fluctuates. E X T, 56 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.6 int.indd 56 "I like it a lot," says fifth-grader Zenzele Yossem-Guy. "Nobody pressures me. If I don't know long division, they don't say, 'You need to learn it by tomorrow.' I can learn at my own pace." Fourth-grader Aurora Steketee likes the school because bullies are not a problem, unlike another school she attended. She attributes this to the "tribes" program, where all ages interact. "Here, you can play with fifth-graders," she explains. "At other schools, fifth-graders will say, 'You can't play with me because you're in fourth grade.'" Adrienne Demboski says enrolling her children was one of the best decisions she Teri Briggs, shown with Rikuu Mikami, says teachers take the time to write a report on each student's progress, instead of grading. S E P T E M B E R 2013 9/3/13 2:27 PM