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Guiding Principles

  1. All children have the same fundamental needs. They long for freedom and opportunity to realize their individual potential. They want validation that they truly belong in the world by experience that clearly demonstrates their being is important. They want to be positively engaged with humanity and with life so they know their lives have real meaning.
  2. For students to learn efficiently, courses must be organized and conducted by teachers who have great expertise in the course material.
  3. To be effective, teachers must be responsive and caring. In addition, they must nourish the strengths and honor the limitations of every student.
  4. To be successful, programs must respond to the whole student. They must reflect an understanding that knowledge and ideas are most valuable when they arise out of our experience; that the joy and value of exploration takes precedence over the attainment of goals; that authentic ethical behavior must emerge out of genuine engagement with family, friends, and society; that goals are most infused with value when they reflect the longing of our hearts.
  5. To be truly satisfying, education must be imbued with fun and adventure.
  6. Character development emerges naturally from the struggle by which expertise and knowledge are gained and from healthy and direct relationships. As an educational institution, Kismet Rock Foundation’s programs do not use the natural environment as a setting for therapy. Its programs are not intended to “treat” specific aspects of character and personality but instead allow character development to emerge naturally from the struggle by which expertise and knowledge are gained.