Kendelhurst Academy

Teaching Philosophy

At Kendellhurst, we believe that your child has an inherent need to learn, as all humans do, and it is our duty to recognize, encourage and help spark the fire that Yeats spoke of so eloquently. Though our curriculum standards are adapted and enriched from the Ministry of Education's documents for kindergarten and grade one students, we stress the fact that our methodology in achieving these outcomes varies greatly. We feel that academic excellence is very important at all stages of development, but the route your child takes is unique, imaginative, creative and belongs solely to him/her. We will always raise the bar to help your child move along a continuum of learning, but he/she will dictate that progression. Please keep in mind that this notion is at the root of our philosophy. So, if little Johnny doesn't come home with a perfectly cut out snowflake when all the other children seemed to enjoy arts and crafts that day, and at least tried to make a snowflake, then Johnny was just being Johnny. We have to love him and respect the fact that he did learn something in school that day. As adults, we tend to look at the exterior world for proof that our child has learned something, but instead we should realize that the interior world of a child is much more fruitful and interesting. As parents, we watch our infant children endlessly play with the most basic items such as their blanket. We clap with delight, children ourselves, as they take their first steps or speak their first words. But, as their little bodies loose the pudginess of baby fat and they appear to resemble us in structure and language development, we tend to change the rules of the game on them and demand results. Soon, we marvel in delight when we see them colour in-between-the-lines. Little check marks appear in our minds as they achieve the goals set out by society, and we easily forget about the little fingers that spent so much time investigating the texture, colour and slight changes in appearance as sunlight hit his/her blanket. Please keep in mind that children learn more in one day of play than many of us learn in a week of hard work. When presented with the proper, enriched environment and opportunities for learning, your child will flourish. Yes, our school will provide you with a progress report, educational programming, and the best possible opportunities for personal growth, but we will not expect any child to learn classroom material/content in a standard, regimented form. Our educators are there to help guide and lead your child to his/her best sense of self. We hope that this pedagogical approach will result in "lighting a fire" that will burn throughout your child's life.