From the Director:
It is important that every child develop a trust in his teachers and others in the early stages of his school life. He/She must be able to feel free to express himself verbally. He must be able to feel free to cry, to be afraid, to enjoy and to fail without loss of self-respect or loss of acceptance as a person. If he is allowed to develop this sense of trust, a sense of autonomy will evolve. As a child feels safe, and is aware of himself as a human being, he feels comfortable enough to develop initiative, to test, to explore, to imagine, and to accomplish. Children need success in their experiences in order to build confidence and give them faith in themselves and their ability to move ahead with new tasks. Successful experiences are VITAL in building a positive self-esteem. School is a testing ground for children to learn about relationships, sharing, taking turns and cooperating. It is here that he begins to learn to value and defend his rights. It is here that he begins to learn that life is filled with choices and that with those choices come responsibilities and consequences. Here, he will begin to understand his own feelings and to appreciate the feelings of others. IT IS THE JOB OF THE TEACHER TO PROVIDE THE CLIMATE THAT MAKES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-ESTEEM, TRUST AND LEARNING POSSIBLE. PHILOSOPHY OF DISCIPLINE BVMS' philosophy of discipline is based on respecting each child as an important individual with strengths and weaknesses. We believe that a child whose needs are being met will be a happy, well-adjusted child. We believe that setting limits gives children the security of knowing that their strong emotions will not lead them to do things that they will later regret. Children know an adult will take the responsibility of stopping unacceptable behavior until they are able to do so for him or herself. Children are taught self-control, responsibility, self-confidence using techniques from the Lesson One Foundation. BVMS' discipline is based on Haim Ginott's theories and knowledge of this theory is essential to every teacher at BVMS. A copy of How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Lesson One The ABC's of Life is given to each staff member before the start of the school year and parents are encouraged to read both of these books. Parenting workshops are given throughout the year and every parent is URGED to attend.