A free Tucson public middle school founded in 2005 and operated by CITY Center for Collaborative Learning.
We are a school where powerful and transformative teaching and learning is the norm and not the exception; a school where the whole person (body, heart, mind and soul) and the whole community is supported and challenged. We are a school that is dedicated to social justice and environmental sustainability. We are a school where diversity among individuals and communities and the unique developmental journey of each is honored and celebrated.
"To promote powerful, transformative teaching and learning within appropriately structured learning environments dedicated to the integral development of individuals and communities for a more just and sustainable world.”
We have attempted to unpack the school’s mission under the tagline “to know, to dream, to rise.”
To Know: Real knowledge comes from experiences that are authentic and engaging. Young people learn when learning is connected to the real world they live in, to the other things they are studying throughout the day, and to issues they care about. At Paulo Freire Freedom School we will create learning environments that support powerful teaching and learning. Learning environments produce powerful teaching and learning when they are aligned with the following principles of best instructional practice; when they are "student-centered, experiential, holistic, authentic, expressive, reflective, social, collaborative, democratic, cognitive, developmental, constructivist, and challenging" (Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde, 1998). Learning can be hard work, but at Paulo Freire Freedom School we believe that learning can also be a joyful experience. Our students will be encouraged to pursue individual passions, to explore their issues with peers, and to experience the satisfaction of knowing how to navigate through complex ideas and problems. To know is freedom. To know is to have power.
To Dream: At Paulo Freire Freedom School we will not shy away from thinking about the environmental and social problems facing the world - instead we will immerse our young people in thinking about them. Our curricular focus on social justice and environmental sustainability will be reality-based, but grounded in hope. Students will not only learn about issues and problems, but will be encouraged to think about solutions. Students will be required to act on these solutions through an integrated service learning program. And participation in the democratic structures of the school will help students\ develop leadership, conflict resolution, and peace-building skills. At Paulo Freire we will not only learn about the world as it is today, we will also dream about it as it can be and work towards the fulfillment of that dream together.
To Rise: At Paulo Freire Freedom School we believe that children grow not only academically and physically, but emotionally, socially, and spiritually as well. The growth they experience in these areas is interconnected with their academic success and with their health and happiness as a whole person. We are committed to supporting and challenging every child to rise to their full potential. Paulo Freire Freedom School will be separated into developmentally appropriate learning environments – each designed to support students’ unique developmental needs and capacities. Within these carefully designed learning environments individual students will be supported and challenged to grow and become...to rise and transform...to develop into integrally whole human beings (body, heart, mind, and soul).
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