The New School

Eric C: The New School is an excellent, and unusual, education.  I received my diploma from the New School seven years ago.  After that I sucessfully completed my undergraduate education and am doing well in my second year of law  school.  I strongly support the New School and as my wife and I look forward to having children, we fully intend to send them to the New School to take advantage of the excellent education offered there.  It is impossible to describe all the, admittedly unusual, workings of the school in this short post, but I will try to highlight some of the things I believe as the New School's main strengths.

The New School emphasizes speaking and analysis; students are required to articulate their conclusions and their reasoning in discussion with teachers and other students.  This promotes a clarity of speech and thinking that helps the student excel in academics later on.  This also helps the student develop mature and stable personal relationships, with their classmates and with adults.

The New School promotes free and engaged learning.  Students choose what they learn and form studies with the help of teachers.  Because the school's philosophy is that learning occurs best when students are taught to begin the process themselves, students gradually become investigative and engaged in their education.  It is characteristic of New School students to be sitting around "after" a class, still discussing and thinking about the material, whether it be mathematics, chemistry, history, etc.  The freedom allowed to the students in their education also encourages a broad interest in many different subjects for each student.  When one student starts a new subject, other students will join in and expand their pursuits.

The New School is a supportive and friendly community.  Unlike a formal school day setting, there is not a wall of separation between students and teachers.  Because students and teachers often engage in conversation the students tend to take on maturer habits.  Bullying is rare and dealt with formally and informally; students often shame the bully more than the punishments of the school.  Students who have graduated often have long-lasting friendships with the school and are welcome to return and sit in on classes.

The New School has many nuances and systems in place to assist a student embarking on this kind of education.  I recommend that a parent who thinks this education might be good for their child to explore the idea in an informational interview, since the interview process covers more than what I could possibly talk about in this short post.  Finally, I think it worth noting that the New School is run by devoted educators who believe in what they are doing.  For that reason, the tuition is the lowest tuition for a private school in Delaware.