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Friends Schools
What I've learned from going to a Quaker school
To me, a Quaker education is about learning to let your inner light shine, respecting people from different walks of life and not resorting to violence to solve problems.
Starting this September I will be going into my final year of secondary school. For the past 12 years I have attended two wonderful independent Quaker schools in the Philadelphia area. The first a small primary school called Plymouth Meeting Friends School and the second a K-12 (primary and secondary school) located in East Falls called the William Penn Charter School, the fifth oldest Quaker school in the United States.
A QUAKER EDUCATION strives for a holistic approach when educating the lives of children. It is an education system that accepts and welcomes all people regardless of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation; and has done so consistently since the beginning.
Friends (Quaker) education strives for cooperative learning, meaning teachers and students work together to enrich the educational experience. There is also a strong foundation in service learning and solving conflicts through peace not violence. Overall, a Quaker education is one that aims to prepare all people to live lives that matter.
Friends believe that each person has the capacity for goodness and a responsibility to attain that goodness. Friends schools believe that education is preparation for the whole of life: the lively development of intellectual, physical, and social-emotional capacities as well as those of the spirit.Friends school teachers are facilitators of the learning process, using dialogue, reflection, and inquiry as tools for learning in the classroom. Students learn that all of life is sacred and resonates with meaning.– Friends Council on Education
I was five when I started kindergarten at Plymouth Meeting Friends, and when I graduated at age 12, a Quaker education was all I had experienced. Things like meeting for worship every Thursday, solving conflicts through consensus, beginning assemblies with a moment of silence, and being explicitly taught that there is ‘that of god in everyone’ were assumed parts of my life.
Academically I learned all the essentials: reading, writing, maths, all of the normal things one learns in primary school. But perhaps the more valuable lessons for me were learned outside of the classroom.
No matter where you are in the world there are almost always going to people that are not as accepting as others, and Plymouth wasn’t any different. My primary school wasn’t perfect, no school is. But my primary school wasn’t special because it emulated a utopian community where no one experienced adversity; it was special because its response to the small, inevitable, and troubling experiences in life was empathy and compassion.
My secondary school in Philadelphia is commonly referred to as the “Quaker school that’s not actually Quaker” which is due to a lack of the word ‘Friends’ being part of the name, not being in the care of a Meeting, and also retaining the all-boys Prep school identity that existed about 20 to 30 years ago. During an open house on a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon in November of 2009, my family and I visited the school. I honestly don’t remember the details. But the one thing I do remember was what the head of school, Dr Ford answered his own question: “What does community mean at Penn Charter?”Answer…
Community at Penn Charter is when that of God in me meets that of God in you.
To me, that’s what a Quaker education is. It’s about letting your inner light shine and finding peace through silence. It’s about not resorting to violence to solve problems and coming to consensus on important issues.
But most importantly, it’s about respecting all kinds of people from different walks of life and being able to embrace them with open arms – even when you don’t want to.
How you can recognise a Quaker school*:
- It has the word ‘Friends’ in the school name (ie Plymouth Meeting Friends School)
- It is in the care of a meeting house. In the same way that parochial schools are in the care of a parish or church.
- The words ‘inner light’ or ‘spirit’ are frequently mentioned when describing the school.
- It was founded by a famous Quaker (ie William Penn founded the William Penn Charter School).
- If ‘Meeting for Worship’ is mentioned when talking about the school. Meeting for Worship is a religious service where Friends gather in silence and, if moved by the spirit, give vocal ministry (no one leads the service). Friends shake hands to signify that the meeting is over.
*Not all Quaker schools have all of these traits, these are just general trends/requirements for Quaker schools.
Still Curious? Here are some Quaker schools across this country….
Ali Watson is a 17 -year-old rising senior (sixth year) at the William Penn Charter School in East Falls, Pennsylvania. She is a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, and resides in both places (the US during the academic year and Ireland during school breaks).
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