If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional classrooms, The Garden School might be the choice for your child. The Garden School incorporates 15 acres of woods, wetlands and gardens into its nature-immersive instruction. The Waldorf-inspired school emphasizes the role of imagination in learning and offers a curriculum that cultivates each child’s innate academic, artistic, practical and social capacities. Because of small class sizes and a 10:1 teacher to student ratio, the teachers are able to provide highly personalized instruction to each student.
The Garden School is for children ages 3 through 8th grade and includes an accredited elementary school and a two-day option for homeschoolers. In addition to indoor space, the school has six outdoor learning classrooms, and students spend half of their school day outside. All children in grades Kindergarten and up take a language. By the time they have completed 8th grade, students are proficient in three languages: Spanish, Mandarin and a third language of their choice.
The school is a low media community and asks that students refrain from screen time, including video games, tablets, smart phones and television, during the school week. “We feel that children need to discover who they are without the influence of outside media at a young age,” shares Garden School founder Jas Darland. “They are only young once, and we want them to fully embrace their childhood.” Jas is an alumna of the Austin Waldorf School and holds a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Located at 4010 Canton Road in Marietta, the setting also includes a learning farm where miniature donkeys and goats live. “Our students are constantly learning in this type of environment. They get to interact with the animals and watch veterinarians perform regular medical care.” says Jas.
To learn more about the Garden School and how it can benefit your child, visit gardenmarietta.org or call 770-765-2036. Due to indexed tuition, the school includes families of diverse backgrounds and means.
This article originally appeared in the August issue of the EAST COBBER magazine, on page 15. Click here to view the digital edition.
