Inside Outside School

My son was enrolled at Inside Outside School. After several days, his teacher tried to diagnose my son with a faulty diagnosis. I asked on what criteria she based her comments, and she said he doesn’t always pay attention and likes to swing on the playground. HE IS IN KINDERGARTEN! Of course he doesn’t pay attention and likes to swing. She also stated he didn’t know his alphabet or letter sounds. She clearly didn’t know him at all, as he knew his alphabet and was already reading. She also requested we move him from the part-​time program to full time.
Less than a month later, she and the director told us they COULD NOT teach my son. They told us he could only come to school one day a week to participate in electives. This action conveniently opened up a spot for a full-​time student, while still getting money from us. They then quit offering part time enrollment. I emailed the director a list of concerns and questions, which she never addressed.
We subsequently enrolled him in public school. He loves his teachers (who CAN teach him) and loves riding the bus. My son is getting everything he needs and more in his neighborhood public school. He is excelling and regularly making the honor roll!
We are realizing most of his lack of attention stemmed from not being challenged at IOS because of weak teaching strategies.
Overall, I would definitely skip this school. Our bad experience was not the only one at this school.

We LOVE the Inside Outside School! I have been following the school since it’s opening year, and as an educator (former public school teacher), I love the blend of academics and outside time. From all that I can tell, they are taking the educational research that talks to what truly works in the best interest of children and applying it in all aspects of the school. The class sizes are small, there are many opportunities for mixed-​age learning, there is direct teaching of core concepts, highly individualized learning, lots of outside and student-​led activities, and an integrated social/​emotional component that is woven throughout the structure of the days that helps our children learn one of the most valuable skills that will serve them through life — emotional intelligence!
This is not an unstructured school — there is structure and academics happening even when it can appear unstructured. For instance, I volunteer once a week for Nature Literacy in «the woods» as my daughter calls it. I have watched students create amazing learning opportunities for themselves that are completely self-​initiated. I’ve seen them perform experiments on the flow of the creek, figure out how to construct a dragon’s lair with tree branches, create mud homes, and compare/​contrast plants and rocks. This is all proof to me that these kids are learning HOW to learn and LOVE LEARNING! All things that make both my mommy heart and my teacher heart very happy. :)
Our daughter is currently in the 1^st grade in a 1^st/​2^nd grade classroom. She came with a high reading level and (in my mind) a low math ability which was compounded with a self-​esteem issue from her kinder experience in a local charter school. Her teacher has done an excellent job of finding out what she needs and providing her with opportunities to expand her learning and fill in the gaps she had. Within the first semester the esteem issues I was worried about have all but vanished, and she truly enjoys math as well as reading now!
I love the way IOS approaches assessment of the students — there are no grades (which did make this former teacher a little nervous at first), but it has been replaced with anecdotal records that are far more meaningful than a single page of letter grades! I received a 10 page document that took me through the semester, explained what was learned in class and how my daughter is progressing. We used this document to review our previous goals and set new ones as a team — teacher, parents, and student. This is authentic learning at its best!
I really cannot say enough about this school. Parents are encouraged to participate in the school day, and I love that this school is as welcoming to the parents as it is for the students. This school may not be for everyone, but I am confident that this is the school for our family and for our daughter. :)

Don’t do it! It’s not what it appears. This post is honestly to caution those who have not experienced this place.

I am so happy that my family found the Inside Outside School. My son started there as a second grader and is in third grade now, my daughter is in Kindergarten. Inside Outside School really renewed my son’s enthusiasm for exploration and learning. Also, his reading has improved and his math skills amaze me. Because of the very small class sizes, the teachers can really work with the children where they are. At first I was curious how the no grades and no tests would work! I now think the push for not labeling or grading has been an asset to my children’s learning experience. For example, my son started at public school and there were so many labels and so many comparisons between the children — complex report cards, charts for homework, and leveled reading books from Kindergarten on! At IOS, he has continued learning and has improved. He gets the direction and assistance he needs — extra help in reading and inspiration to go further in math. I can’t believe he is doing something with binary now in math! I also really appreciate the enthusiasm and love of the teachers for their students. When my daughter calls me by her teacher’s name, it makes me smile that she feel so close to her teacher that she mixes up names! Schools can be pretty scary places at times — to be honest I often felt my son’s last school was a hostile place where we were under attack. At IOS, when I get emails or calls from teachers about any discipline issues or needs at school, I feel so much more like the teachers are building a learning environment — which does require discipline and for children to understand what behavior works at different times — but the teachers strive to do so in a creative and caring way. I have had numerous friends ask me about Inside Outside School and I always recommend it without hesitation.