About Us Full Circle School
21 Parmenter Road
Bernardston, MA. 01337
Rebecca Muir-Harmony
Michael Muir-Harmony
Phone: (413) 648-9842 Full Circle was founded as an Independent School in 1973. After operating in Putney and Deerfield, it settled at its present location on a wooded hill just outside the town of Bernardston, Massachusetts. The forest that encompasses the school contains pine woods, open meadows, marshlands, streams, and ponds. The setting cultivates a lasting awareness and resepect for the surrounding world, and enables the students to enjoy firsthand experiences with nature on a daily basis. It is the belief in the importance of understanding life's eternal cycles that gave rise to the name of the school. It is our wish that each child learns to experience life as a whole.
Full Circle School is attended by children three years of age through twelve. Class sizes are small, and the student to teacher ratio allows for close relationships between the teachers and students as well as between teachers and school families. Celebrating Differences
Full Circle exists in the absence of class divisions. Ages are mixed, sexes are mixed, and races are mixed. This one room schoolhouse approach to education offers children an environment in which differences are celebrated rather than merely tolerated or hidden. Everyone is viewed as a teacher as well as a student. From older children, students glimpse models of where they might be, younger children remind students of where they have been, and those within their age group teach students about how varied individual differences can be even at a similar age. Life is presented as a continuum rather than segregated pieces. This environment instills in the children a broad understanding and respect for human development. A Personalized Curriculum
Central to Full Circle's design of education is the emphasis on a personalized curriculum. Recognizing each child's unique approach to life, the teachers work with the children to develop a course of study appropriate to each child's developmental state. The educational program at Full Circle is an approach to reason. With the abilities to inquire freely, observe carefully, think critically, and evaluate honestly comes the attitude that the entire world is one's curriculum. This attitude is the basis of a personal education. Lifelong Lessons
Sitting in the shade of an old oak tree of mixing the rich hues of colors in the artery studio, children form a growing awareness of their interests. They begin to understand both their strengths and weaknesses; and they develop a strong desire to learn more. Throughout the educational experience at Full Circle, children are taught to evaluate themselves. This self-critical and analytical approach to the world is carried beyond the boundaries of Full Circle School; it is a lifelong lesson. Love of Learning
When the world is one's laboratory; questioning, seeking, verifying, and evaluating become second nature. Collecting pond water for a microscope slide, catching rays of sunlight with a prism to create a rainbow on the wall, or discovering where Magellan lies on the history time line that spans the perimeter of the classroom, are all part of a process that begins with wonder. Learning, conceived in those wonderful experiences containing the pure joy of discovery, deepens into a knowledge that comes from the conscious study of oneself and the world, and eventually results in wisdom. Honoring Childhood
A new day starts where children's knowledge finds its beginnings in wonder, and their education proceeds from the joy of discovery. Childhood is a time, that children should honor by being children. It is a time to imagine what it would be like being a woodland fairy, or the pirate of a pond. It is a time of life to sit and observe and imagine what it would be like to be a water bug skimming over the silvery surface of the water or a salamander nestled safely in the dark under a rock. Children need a secure world; one where they can define their dreams and learn their limits. They need a world where the realities of life can be experienced first hand. Children need physical spaces where they can take risks. They need an environment that not only can be experienced - but created. They need a childhood formed in play and built upon love. Knowledge Begins in Wonder
The peal of an old school bell rings out through the woods. Ancient oaks, centuries old, tower beside the schoolhouse. Even before you have entered through the door, you know you have arrived at a very special place. Another school day begins in testament to the idea that knowledge begins in wonder. For more than two decades, children from Western Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire have walked the path through the woods to Full Circle School. Sons and daughters of businessmen and carpenters, farmers and filmmakers, teachers and poets walk through these woods. The path leads into a classroom filled with children's voices and music playing quietly in the background. It is an educational path less traveled; one paved with acorns and pinecones - one inspired by Plato, Jefferson, and Thoreau. Self-Motivation
Within a personalized education, the child's own internal motivation is respected and nurtured. From the first day of school, there is an attitude instilled in each child that this educational experience is his or her own educational experience. It is owned by the child. With ownership comes responsibility. With ownership and responsibility come the independence that enables one to create a personal education.
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