What does a typical day look like?

When I visited the Fairhaven School open house on October 20, I could very well imagine my kids enjoying spending their days there. And indeed all three kids said they'd like to spend time there.

First of all, though it did have details that were school-like, it looked more like a house than a school, and it's located on beautiful wooded grounds, complete with a hill for climbing and a stream where students have discovered fossils they've collected in a large display box in one of the school rooms. They have a swing set, seesaws (which I was especially pleased to see as most parks and schools have banned those nowadays), and a garden too. Some students spend hours outside every day. They can spend the whole day outside if they wish.

Indoors they have many rooms, some large, some small, each with their own purpose. There's a quiet room, there's a room full of books and furnished in a way that's attractive for climbing, tumbling little kids, there's a music room, there's a kitchen, the art room was very well organized and looked well-loved and well-used . . . I took a peek inside the workshop where I think they do wood-working and other such things, and I noticed the sign on the door reminding people to wear shoes, which was another bit of evidence of how comfortable this school is (because many don't wear shoes, which is how my kids live most of their days). I think we had our informational talk in the meeting room where they have jury meetings, next door to the school office, which, we were told, is not scary to anyone, unlike many other schools' offices. Some older students have even been hired to work in the school office.

I saw a lot of evidence of how well the school is organized and managed and how responsible the children are. They have lists posted on the walls, such as lists of corporations (the committees that do the work to run the school) and a list of students with allergies. (Caroline asked, "Am I on the list? LOL I reminded her that this isn't the actual school she'd be attending.) I loved seeing so much student art framed and hung on the walls, and the photographs of (I'm assuming) all the students who have attended since the school opened in 1998 that spread across one wall and around the corner show lots of happy faces.

It looks like everyone has a cubby to store their stuff. Several of the rooms have shelves and shelves and more shelves full of books. There are colorful posters on walls and many other items on display that caught my eye. There are several computers and kids can bring their own and they do have wifi. I'm only just mentioning about half of it; there was a lot more!

And then we had a discussion sitting in a huge circle in the school meeting room. It's a huge room with windows filling up one wall behind a stage and lights hanging from the ceiling to illuminate stage performances. In the circle there were staff members, current students and their parents, and interested families. We heard stories from several current students and their families which were very enthusiastic and inspiring. Students say they are sorry when the weekend and summer arrives, meaning they can't go to school, and parents say they wish the school had been around sooner.

My husband and I pondered (maybe half-jokingly) the possibility of moving up north so our kids could attend Fairhaven now. But I guess we'll just have to work harder to get JSS up and running.