Which School Is The Best For Your Child?

In the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner were trailblazers in early education. Their ideas and philosophies shaped early childhood education as we know it in the 21st century. Who were these people? Why did they feel that early education was so important?

Freidrich Froebel

Freidrich Froebel (1782-1852) invented kindergarten which literally means a child's garden. Froebel wanted children to interact with their surroundings. Interacting with nature was central to his philosophy of education. He believed that interacting with nature would lead children in a closer examination of how things work. Froebel was influenced by the Swiss pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) whose methods and approach to education, in turn, shaped a young Albert Einstein when he attended the local school in Aarau. Today few people with the exception of educators or trivia buffs know who Froebel is even though his influence in early childhood education was profound.

From left to right: Friedrich Froebel; Dr. Maria Montessori; Rudolf Steiner

One of the features of Froebel's approach to teaching children was the use of gifts. He developed five gifts which were to be given to the child in ascending order. The gifts were designed to teach awareness of shapes, spatial relationships, and many more concepts to even the youngest child.

This video offers an overview of Froebel.

One of the reasons we parents send out children to private school is discipline. We have grown concerned about our children being in large classes where the teachers spend much of their teaching time dealing with discipline issues. That's not the education environment we want for our children. We want them to go to school to learn in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn..

As you investigate private schools at any level, review how the schools handle discipline. Because each private school is a stand-alone entity, how it approaches the matter of discipline will vary from school to school. Be ready for that. How a school handles discipline is one of many factors which will influence your choice of schools.

What is a code of conduct?

Discipline in private schools generally begins with a code of conduct. A code of conduct is a document which has been produced by the school administration and approved by the board of trustees or other governing body. The code of conduct is generally read and signed by parents and students at the time of admission to the school. It becomes part of the contract between student, parents and the school which governs your attendance at the school. Since you have already agreed to the school's code of conduct beforehand, when you commit an infraction of the code, you will be disciplined accordingly.

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Each state sets its own teacher certification requirements. While many private schools do not require you to be certified, it is in your best interests to obtain certification. Why is that so? Simply because it adds one more important credential to your resume. That will help keep you marketable for many years to come.

Here is the contact information you need to find out what the specific requirements are in the various states and territories.

The Seattle area is home to many fine private schools as well as to major companies such as Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks.

• Annie Wright School, Tacoma
• Auburn Adventist Academy, Auburn
• The Bear Creek School, Redmond & Woodinville
• Bellevue Children's Academy, Bellevue
• Bellevue Montessori School, Bellevue
• Bertschi School, Seattle
• Bishop Blanchet High School, Seattle
• Billings Middle School, Seattle
• Brighton School, Lynnwood
• Brightwater School, Seattle
• The Bush School, Seattle
• Chrysalis School, Woodinville
• The Clearwater School, Seattle
• Concordia Lutheran School, Seattle
• Community Christian Academy, Lacey
• Eastside Catholic School, Sammamish
• Evergreen Academy, Bothell & Woodinville
• Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bellevue
• Fremont Community School, Seattle
• The French American Immersion School of Washington, Bellevue
• French American School of Puget Sound, Mercer Island
• Holy Names Academy, Seattle
• Holy Rosary School, Seattle
• Hope Lutheran School
• Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle
• Junior Junction School, Kent
• KapKa Cooperative School, Seattle
• King's Schools, Seattle
• Lakeside School, Seattle
• Life Christian School, Tacoma
• Matheia School, Seattle
• Montessori in Motion, Tacoma
• Northwest Yeshiva High School, Mercer Island
• The Open Window School, Seattle
• Our Lady of Gaudalupe School, Seattle
• The Overlake School, Redmond
• Providence Classical Christian School, Bellevue
• Puget Sound Community School, Seattle
• Saint Catherine School, Seattle
• Saint Alphonsus Parish School, Seattle
• Saint Charles Borromeo, Tacoma
• Saint George's Parish School, Seattle