the raintree approach
A Raintree classroom is one in which the children hold the wheel. Faculty control the pedals — they rev the gas when children need a challenge and then put on the brakes to take a concept more slowly. In the child-directed classrooms here, each learner has a say in the who, what, when, where, and why of their education.
Children can be independent, creative humans who are capable of pointing in a direction and figuring out how to get there if they are given the space to do so, and at Raintree, we give this space. Raintree kiddos can be found navigating this complicated territory, far more complex than the worksheets and rote drills found elsewhere, with a sort of bursting demand and barely contained excitement that our teachers are just waiting to capture.
This is what we at Raintree refer to as an opportunity.
So we take that opportunity, bottle it up, let it build, and release it every day in every classroom at our small school called Raintree.
