Respectful Community

At Saratoga Independent School we are guided by the philosophy of The Responsive Classroom®, an approach to elementary education that is based on the premise that children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills.

Teaching our children responsibility, self-control and caring behavior is a continuous process. Rather than simply reacting to problems, we strive to help children develop inner controls, reflect on behavior, and learn from mistakes. We turn problems into positive learning experiences that preserve each child’s dignity.

Discipline is required when students behave in ways that do not support our school motto or violate our students’ rights and responsibilities. Caring discipline involves both empathy (understanding the child’s needs and feelings) and structure (providing guidelines and setting limits). When a child does not follow the school rules we implement logical consequences that are respectful and constructive, and are delivered in a calm, friendly manner. The goal is to help the child learn from mistakes, not to punish him or her. When a person’s feelings have been hurt, a child learns to take responsibility and decide what can be done to repair the relationship.

Saratoga Independent School teaches children to stand up for themselves and appropriately assert their needs. In turn, they learn to make amends in a respectful, related, and reasonable way.

Additional reading about The Responsive Classroom® .