When I look back at all of my educational years spent
in school, I know for certain I learned best while in medical school. My
school was one of the first adopters of a problem-based learning curriculum.
This meant we learned about the human body and condition in both its
normal and its diseased state in a multi-disciplinary and multi-system
approach.
We often learned in smaller case-based groups where we
explored our knowledge through examples and active questioning of one another
and our teachers. It was a synthetic, integrated, hands-on and
collaborative approach to learning. It made sense to me and organized my
learning and understanding of medicine in an accessible format. It also
set the stage for what medicine and so many other professions demand--the
foundation of asking questions in the journey of life-long learning,
approaching problems from various viewpoints and working and learning together
in collaborative teams.
When we moved to Los Altos over 10 years ago, BCS was
in its infancy as a school in our community. As our son approached
Kindergarten age, I took the time to explore and learn more about the
educational philosophy and methodology of BCS compared to our LASD home school.
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| BCS offers a collaborative learning environment for all students |
I asked lots of questions of friends in our community
at BCS and our district school, attended back to school nights at both schools
and was excited to have the opportunity to tour BCS and spend time learning
from the principal about BCS in more detail. I knew the curriculum and
educational approach at BCS was my first choice for our son given my own
educational experience.
The problem-based and hands-on learning spanning
school years and disciplines was exciting and innovative to me, and I suspected
it would be for him as well. Although my husband and I felt our son
would likely thrive at either our LASD school or BCS, I truly hoped he would
secure at spot at BCS in the lottery--which he did.
As we near the end of our son's first year at BCS, we
are thrilled our collective experience so far. Our son comes home every
day from school excited and happy and exhibits a passion for learning across
all areas of his Kindergarten experience. My husband and I have met and
become friends with families who share the same excitement about BCS ,
education and the learning opportunities BCS provides for our children.
The diversity of families is most definitely
representative of the Los Altos community at large--highly educated and informed
parents who care about the education their child receives.
As a pediatrician in the community, I am well aware
that many of our surrounding communities have choice/lottery schools. I
know many families from Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Mountain View who are thankful for
the choice in their public education--be it a language immersion grade school
or a school which has an alternative educational model compared to traditional district
schools. All of these educational choices are lottery-based
opportunities, and families can decide whether it is an educational
experience they would like to explore and then enter the lottery for
their child.
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| Students benefit from fully integrated curriculum in every grade from K-8 |
As parents we know that all children learn and thrive
differently from one another in various school and learning settings.
Sometimes we don't know which type of school will best suit our child
until we actually begin the educational journey with our child. Having
fluidity and flexibility in our choice is an option every parent
desires and should have for their child.
I have known families who have made the choice to
change schools to BCS for their child, and I have known families who have made
the choice to leave BCS for their child. The reasons embedded in each
choice are unique to each child and family. But having the choice is so
very important for our children and families in Los Altos.
Cara & Dave Barone
