The meta-goal for education is to assist in the gradual process of creating an avid learner who has no need for a teacher.

This drives much of what we do at Madrona.

We recognize that children between 8 and 12 years of age need adults to guide their learning process. All of our students are somewhere on the spectrum between dependence and autonomy in their school life. Self-confidence, subject matter, motivation, concentration, and learning disabilities all influence where students are on this spectrum.

At Madrona, we work constantly to help students become self-directed learners, but not at the cost of increasing their anxiety. We carefully observe their learning styles in order to assess how much adult input each child needs. We give autonomous learners every opportunity to take responsibility and control for their learning.

We gently help those who need more structure and direction to become assertive and confident in taking on challenges.

We have an expression which we use often with the children: “I’m away, but only an inch away.” Students know we have not abandoned them, but are giving them a chance to solve problems on their own before seeking help.

The above is an overview of quite a complex process. Parents who are curious about how we strike the correct balance with their child might wish to discuss this with us.