Commitment to Chugach matters

By Charles Wohlforth

When something works—a machine, a relationship, or a school—you don’t always know why, or even bother to ask. There’s no reason to investigate when you’re happy with the results. Only a fool would turn to his wife to question why the marriage is not in trouble.

But at Chugach, renewing and focusing parent commitment to the school’s philosophical core is always important. When problems crop up is the worst time to examine our purpose and the reasons behind the way we do things.

Chugach is a different school. It was founded by a group of parents with a particular view of how children learn: child-centered, less structured, and using innovative methods, including relying on student inquiry rather than directed instruction.

Many experimental schools that started in the 1970s have since died out or evolved into traditional schools with few unique qualities. The tendency to revert back to mainstream practices is natural. One primary reason it happens is because most of us, as parents, grew up in traditional schools and, without knowing better, we can push in that direction.

As a long-time Chugach parent, I’ve talked to friends who were freaking out because, although they loved Chugach, they felt that their child wasn’t getting some particular piece of educational content they “should” have learned by a certain age.

I’ve felt that way myself at times.

But our philosophy says every child has his or her own natural pace of learning. We believe that concepts click at different times for each of us. Kids learn best when you don’t force it. New skills sink in when children are ready.

In our family, we’ve learned to trust that our children always do learn what they need, and more. Chugach works.

Part of our job as parents has got to be to teach ourselves and one another about Chugach and its philosophy, so we’re ready to trust in the program, to be patient with the learning process, and to support the teachers and students in the right way—with encouragement rather than pressure.

Commitment to Chugach matters for our kids, and for the long-term health of our school.