Whose House Is This, and Why Are We Here? The Pedagogy of Raintree School

Lois Malaguzzi, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey, Johann Pestalozzi, A.S. Neill, Richer Louv, and Teacher Tom - these are all educators who laid the foundation for Raintree's philosophy.

Provocative and hopeful, we’ve left our door open at the risk of catching something new. And, in came a courageous pedagogy from Raintree School – a reggio-inspired forest school. A school that focuses on a place-based experiential approach fully directed by children and embedded in citizenship and local activism.

To teach well, with intention and purpose, to understand the stumbles and misalignments, to appreciate the rights of every learner and filter out the dreck (edu-bling, buzz words, and fads), we must each know who came before.

You must know so that when a child takes up residence at Raintree School, she will experience a world where she fiercely exists. Years down the road, as she catches her reflection in the shimmery pools of the wild world, she will know exactly what she is meant to do: find the beauty, roll in the dirt, and change the world.