Tru

Our oldest daughter attends Tru; we think it is a great environment for her. It is a very small school, which makes instruction and care extremely personal. Within weeks, she knew everyone at the school, and all the teachers knew her intimately. Tru has a strong philosophy of transformative learning, and they teach by following the kids' interests and crafting learning around that. Each year has a theme that instruction and performances are crafted around. Speaking of performances, they are a big part of Tru. The kids participate in several plays each year and several weekend events per year with group songs and recitations by the older kids. The school is hosted in a cozy little church that provides an idyllic shelter, and it is near a park and library that kids visit often. There are field trips for hikes or to the beach to learn about marine life. The teachers are so excellent, and since they are the school's founders, they really pour their full selves into maximizing the experience of the kids and the families. We are so happy at Tru.

Small class sizes and calming vibes that inspire focused attention. Great teachers, and no guesswork about which teacher you will have, you know them all. The teachers are masterful at sparking intrinsic motivation, mediating conflicts, and encouraging socio-emotional development. The school is teacher-owned and teacher-led and this cascades into all of their decision making. They customize the curriculum to meet the needs of the class cohort every year. Emergent interests from the classes are transformed into projects, experiments, and plays. Our kids rummage through the garage to find materials for their projects and inventions at school. "Mom we need gear!" - "Can I use this?" - and so sweetly, they know what their friends are working on and help procure equipment and material for them too. Everything is hand-made, down to the scripts of the plays, the related songs, and the props. Even the jam at the fall harvest festival was made with fruit harvested from the trees at the school. It is through-and-through a low-waste DIY culture that preserves and respects material. No iPad apps. No project-in-a-box. Every invention is unique. No two art projects look alike. Personal style is recognized and celebrated. Because the other kids are so confident in who they are and how they come to school my kids are inspired to figure themselves out too. No cliques or feeling pushed out of friend groups. The community feels like one big group of friends. This is by design. Teachers endlessly engage in conversations and thoughtful pairings to help kids connect with each other so that nobody is left out. We transferred in and within days the kids felt safe, included, and comfortable.