As a parent it is often too easy for us to focus on how many badges our children collect or how many points they earn because those are the tangible things we can see and measure. However, there is an invisible system at Wonder that constantly rearranges itself to help all of our children with love and respect.

Why do we want to teach our children that the best defense against bullies is to absorb them into our lives as a necessary evil? What if schools were small enough so no one could hide; and learning to be kind was built into the governance systems and was a necessary achievement for progress at school?

It’s too easy to zap the love of writing out of children’s souls with assignments focused on structure and grammar topped off with red marks on eraser-worn paper. That is why Wonder turns the traditional method of teaching writing upside down. We believe love of writing comes first. Then comes the appreciation for grammar.

The fundamental belief at Wonder is that “each child is a genius.” Sadly, this belief sets us apart from other educational institutions.

If I can let go of my agendas for my children (ie, what I want them to accomplish, how I want them to behave and even to look like) then I am free to be fascinated by who they are and who they were meant to be. With this mindset, I go from wishing they were more athletic or more musical or more intellectual to yearning to know them more deeply.