Confidence and self-respect: Children are responsible for choosing work, completing it, and returning it to the shelf. By continually making decisions regarding their day, children discover their own capabilities and build confidence, competence, and self-respect.

Having self-respect leads to respect for others: As children recognize the importance of their own work they also build regard for others. They learn to collaborate, ask questions, and help each other solve problems. 

Awareness of others grows into respect for communal space:  At all levels children help clean and maintain the classroom. They understand the need to put materials away, making them available for the next friend to use. By the 3rd year of primary, children demonstrate responsibility by helping with daily classroom jobs. 

Children take charge within their community: In the three-year classroom, older children mentor younger children with work, lessons, and understanding the way of the classroom. Older children may volunteer to extend hospitality to our guests, help answer office phones and maintain communal areas of the school. 

Self respect leads to a regard for the surrounding community and the world: Our students are actively involved in Earth Day activities, Meals on Wheels, volunteering at ALFA Adult Day Services, UNICEF, etc. 

The connection to the wider world is supported in classroom activities with cultural materials, song, dance, and art.