{"id":1912,"date":"2024-01-09T13:27:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T18:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/?page_id=1912"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:57:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:57:31","slug":"frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/frequently-asked-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_t=&#8221;30&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;30&#8243; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; gap=&#8221;15&#8243; text_align=&#8221;right&#8221; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; css_zindex=&#8221;999&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1706557045078{background-color: #faf5eb !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Desktop Top Nav&#8221;][vc_column]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><div class=\"container-fluid row_section vc_row_cp_lr_15 vc_row_cp_t_0 vc_row_cp_b_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-15 rdy_vc_row-o-equal-height rdy_vc_row-flex vc_row-6953a9003f0a5207450077\"   style=' text-align:left; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-4 vc_column_container_6953a9003f452841672988\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\r\n\t<div class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_single_image_1 wpb_content_element vc_align_left\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/\" target=\"_self\"><div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1458\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ASI-Logo.Horiz_.RGB-150r.png\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"ASI Logo.Horiz.RGB 150r\" \/><\/div><\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 vc_column_container_6953a9003f9a6885673386 column_vertical_align_bottom\" style=\"text-align:right;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t  <style>\n\/* Style The Dropdown Button *\/\n.dropbtn2 {\n  background-color: #faf5eb;\n  color: white;\n  padding: 10px 14px 10px 14px;\n  text-align: center;\n  font-size: 12px;\n  border: none;\n  cursor: pointer;\n}\n\n\/* The container <div> - needed to position the dropdown content *\/\n.dropdown {\n  position: relative;\n  display: inline-block;\n}\n\n\/* Dropdown Content (Hidden by Default) *\/\n.dropdown-content {\n  display: none;\n  position: absolute;\n  text-align: left;\n  background-color: #f9f9f9;\n  min-width: 100px;\n  box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);\n  z-index: 10000;\n}\n\n\/* Links inside the dropdown *\/\n.dropdown-content a {\n  color: black;\n  padding: 12px 16px;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  display: block;\n}\n\n\/* Change color of dropdown links on hover *\/\n.dropdown-content a:hover {background-color: #f1f1f1}\n\n\/* Show the dropdown menu on hover *\/\n.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {\n  display: block;\n}\n<\/div> \n<\/style>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/about-us\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:black;\">ABOUT US<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/philosophy-of-education\/\">Philosophy<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/history\/\">History<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/faith-commitment\/\">Faith Commitment<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/accreditation\/\">Accreditation<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/staff-and-board\/\">Staff and Board<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/employment\/\">Employment<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/get-in-touch\/\">Contact Us<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/frequently-asked-questions\/\">FAQ<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> | \n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.sharepoint.com\/sites\/ASIAllMember\" target=\"_blank\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:black;\">MEMBERS<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/member-school-benefits\/\">Member School Benefits<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/find-a-member-school\/\">Find a Member School<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.sharepoint.com\/sites\/ASIAllMember\" target=\"_blank\">Member School Login<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> | \n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/employment\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:black;\">JOBS<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> |\n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/get-in-touch\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:black;\">CONTACT US<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> | \n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/stay-in-touch\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:black;\">SIGN UP<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> | \n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/donate\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn2\"><h5 style=\"color:#507F70;\">DONATE<\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/ways-to-give\/\">Ways to Give<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/donate\/\">Donate<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_lr=&#8221;60&#8243; custom_padding_t=&#8221;45&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;45&#8243; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; gap=&#8221;0&#8243; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1704825533991{background-image: url(https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/About-Us.jpg?id=146) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Desktop Header&#8221;][vc_column vertical_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1624045147421{padding-left: 18px !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Frequently Asked Questions&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h6|font_size:45|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff&#8221; font_title_responsive=&#8221;true&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column vertical_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; width=&#8221;6\/12&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1704825349848{border-left-width: 3px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;border-left-color: #000000 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text]We have answers to your questions about an Ambleside Education.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_lr=&#8221;15&#8243; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; gap=&#8221;0&#8243; row_hide_lg=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1624137937831{background-image: url(https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/About-Us.jpg?id=146) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Mobile Header&#8221;][vc_column vertical_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Frequently Asked Questions&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h6|font_size:45|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;20&#8243;][vc_separator thickness=&#8221;3&#8243; width=&#8221;50&#8243; width_in_percentages=&#8221;yes&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;20&#8243;][vc_column_text]We have answers to your questions about an Ambleside Education.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_lr=&#8221;100&#8243; custom_padding_t=&#8221;60&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;30&#8243; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1624045557594{background-color: #faf5eb !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Desktop Quote&#8221;][vc_column text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1621273847939{padding-right: 80px !important;padding-left: 80px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Things become much more to us when we remind ourselves that somebody has thought each thing out; and this sort of thinking-out is very delightful.<\/h1>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #63513e;\"><strong>\u2014 CHARLOTTE M. MASON \u2014<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; row_hide_lg=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1624045566098{background-color: #faf5eb !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Mobile Quote&#8221;][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Things become much more to us when we remind ourselves that somebody has thought each thing out; and this sort of thinking-out is very delightful.&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:23|text_align:center|color:%23000000|line_height:1.5&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #63513e;\"><strong>CHARLOTTE M. MASON<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_t=&#8221;0&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;0&#8243; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; css_zindex=&#8221;998&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1706557053501{background-color: #003865 !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Main Menu &#8211; Desktop&#8221;][vc_column]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><div class=\"container row_section hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs vc_row_p_30\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-30 vc_row-6953a9003ffe2659667766\"   style=' text-align:center; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a900400d1456124245\" style=\"text-align:center;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t  <style>\n\/* Style The Dropdown Button *\/\n.dropbtn {\n  background-color: #003865;\n  color: white;\n  padding: 20px 16px 20px 16px;;\n  text-align: center;\n  font-size: 16px;\n  border: none;\n  cursor: pointer;\n}\n\n\/* The container <div> - needed to position the dropdown content *\/\n.dropdown {\n  position: relative;\n  display: inline-block;\n}\n\n\/* Dropdown Content (Hidden by Default) *\/\n.dropdown-content {\n  display: none;\n  position: absolute;\n  text-align: left;\n  background-color: #f9f9f9;\n  min-width: 200px;\n  box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);\n  z-index: 10000;\n}\n\n\/* Links inside the dropdown *\/\n.dropdown-content a {\n  color: black;\n  padding: 12px 16px;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  display: block;\n}\n\n\/* Change color of dropdown links on hover *\/\n.dropdown-content a:hover {background-color: #f1f1f1}\n\n\/* Show the dropdown menu on hover *\/\n.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {\n  display: block;\n}\n<\/div> \n<\/style>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-fluid row_section vc_row_cp_t_0 vc_row_cp_b_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-30 vc_row-6953a90040249433456250\"   style=' text-align:center; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-1\/5 vc_column_container_6953a9004030b019306199\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/member-schools\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn\"><h5><p style=\"color:white;\">Member Schools<\/p><\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/find-a-member-school\/\">Find a Member School<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/the-ambleside-difference\/\">The Ambleside Difference<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/curriculum\/\">Curriculum<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/employment\/\">Employment<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-1\/5 vc_column_container_6953a90040418947879318\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/why-start-a-school\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn\" ><h5><p style=\"color:white;\">Starting a School<\/p><\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/how-we-help\/\">How We Help<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/why-start-a-school\/\">Why Start a School<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/founding-a-school\/\">Founding a School<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/converting-a-school\/\">Converting a School<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/how-to-get-started\/\">How to Get Started<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-1\/5 vc_column_container_6953a9004052b855702217\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/training\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn\"><h5><p style=\"color:white;\">Education & Training<\/p><\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/three-day-internship\/\">Three-Day Internship<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/summer-institute\/\">Summer Institute<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-1\/5 vc_column_container_6953a90040638634773998\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/homeschooling\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn\"><h5><p style=\"color:white;\">Homeschooling<\/p><\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/mentor-program\/\">Mentor Program<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/homeschooling-costs\/\">Program Costs<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/homeschool-curriculum-and-resources\/\">Curriculum & Resources<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/homeschool-application\/\">Application<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/homeschool-renewal-form\/\/\">Membership Renewal<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-1\/5 vc_column_container_6953a90040751312170822\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_content_element wpb_raw_html\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/resources\/\"><button class=\"dropbtn\"><h5><p style=\"color:white;\">Resources<\/p><\/h5><\/button><\/a>\n  <div class=\"dropdown-content\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/resources\/\">Library<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/charlotte-mason\/\">Charlotte M. Mason<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/blog\/\">Articles & Magazine<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/the-ambleside-difference\/\">Video Series<\/a>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.sharepoint.com\/sites\/ASIAllMember\">Member Resources<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_t=&#8221;45&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;45&#8243; gap=&#8221;45&#8243; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Desktop Sidebar and Content&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;2049&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;15&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>About<\/strong> Ambleside Schools International.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_separator width=&#8221;50&#8243; width_in_percentages=&#8221;yes&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><div class=\"container row_section vc_row_cp_lr_15 vc_row_cp_t_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-30 vc_row-6953a90040bdf218017640\"   style=' text-align:left; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a90040cd8048001297\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90040e33320796898\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/philosophy-of-education\/\">Philosophy<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_2\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90040f70031502244\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/history\/\" title=\"History\">Our History<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_3\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a9004103f785366933\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/faith-commitment\/\">Faith Commitment<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_4\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a9004113f265274845\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/accreditation\/\">Accreditation<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_5\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a900415bb600064638\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/staff-and-board\/\">Staff and Board<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_6\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a900416f8188542652\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/get-in-touch\/\" title=\"Contact Us\">Contact Us<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Frequently Asked Questions&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:left|color:%23000000&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;15&#8243;][vc_separator width_in_percentages=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Why does your mission statement call for the renewal of Christian education, rather than just for the renewal of education in general?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767410288{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]By the renewal of Christian education, the intention is to revive an authentic Christian philosophy of education with the pedagogical practice informed by the philosophy. It is not just the teaching of another worldview; it is the teaching itself which is founded\/established upon the worldview. Every educational system has an underlying philosophy informing its pedagogy. The models of education we have grown up under are largely products of the Enlightenment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One thinks of Locke, for whom knowledge was the sensible apprehension of data which one mastered. The human mind was considered a blank slate. The process of education consisted of data and technique being transcribed on to the blank slate,\u00a0beginning with the young child through adulthood. Another Enlightenment thinker, Rousseau, believed human persons have innately within them all they need, and the role of education consisted of self-expression and self-discovery. These philosophies are the foundations of the two primary systems of behaviorism and constructivism that underlie education today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In their experience as K-12 students and in their university training, the great majority of Christian educators have been educated according to behaviorist and constructivist principles. These secular principles have informed their philosophy and pedagogy, their individual practice on to which Bible class, prayer, and the entire syllabi are simply added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Every philosophy of education involves both an anthropology (an understanding of the nature of persons, including student and teacher) and an epistemology (an understanding of the nature of knowledge and its acquisition). The pedagogical practice in most Christian schools is based upon a secular anthropology and epistemology. While there may be uniquely Christian content (Bible class, chapel, etc.) and faithful Christian teachers, still the fundamental pedagogical practice remains the same as the secular school down the street.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Distinctly different from either behaviorist or constructivist pedagogies. Charlotte Mason based her pedagogy on the conviction that all True, Good, and Beautiful Ideas are but expressions of the Eternal Logos. Therefore, all coming to know Truth is a coming to know something of the work of God. The preeminent teacher in an Ambleside classroom is the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Every worthy idea, whether in grammar or history, poetry or science, reveals some aspect of our Creator. Therefore, it is the well-chosen text that is the focal point in an Ambleside classroom, be it a classic book, a math algorithm, a work of art, a science diagram, or a musical composition. The teacher\u2019s role is to direct the student&#8217;s attention to the mind of the author, artist, composer, algorithm, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Given this power of mind, it is essential that every student independently perform the act of knowing. Nothing can be truly learned by teacher activity alone. The primacy is with the student, who must perform the act of knowing. The teacher is not to be a lecturer. It is not her responsibility to write on the alleged \u201cblank slate\u201d of a student\u2019s mind.\u202f\u202f\u00a0Rather, the teacher must be the facilitator of a mind-to-mind meeting between students and ideas presented in a well-chosen text.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How does an Ambleside education differ from other models of education such as the classical, Christian education?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767481014{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]The term classical is claimed by schools as unique and diverse as the numerous Christian denominations.\u00a0Perhaps the primary point of unity is that in most classical schools, fundamental learning objectives are divided according to three proposed stages of learning; the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. These proposed stages define the kinds of learning to be expected and are alleged to build upon one another.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside insists that every grade incorporates all three of these aspects of learning and that students in kindergarten and first grades can grasp not only facts but also a broad array of ideas and compose their own cogent responses to them. At Ambleside, children of all ages are seen as having a great capacity. What distinguishes the young from the old is not capacity but experience and needed background.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Classical schooling often begins with the quantifying of student skills and abilities. Some will only accept students of \u201cabove average\u201d ability, at age five! When students of \u201cnormal\u201d or \u201cbelow average\u201d ability are accepted, children are assessed and grouped into ability levels. What does a five-year-old begin to believe about herself when she is placed in the lowest reading group and continues year after year, without the expectation of real growth and without the kind of support that transforms weakness to strength?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>An Ambleside education begins with the conviction that Children are Persons<sup>1<\/sup>, that every child defies our capacity for measurement. Other school models would not argue with this foundational truth at face value, but in the application of this principle they veer in the wrong direction. At Ambleside, teachers are keenly aware of each student\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, but no child is ever defined or labeled by his or her weaknesses. Students are not grouped according to ability, for Ambleside recognizes that optimal growth for all occurs when the strong and weak face life together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In most classical schools, one finds the same competitive grind that is present in traditional public and private schooling. Students strive to win awards, get the highest grades, be the best, and outperform their peers, and they tend to live in a high-anxiety, competitive atmosphere, rather than in a high-joy, life-giving atmosphere.\u00a0Some play to win the competition. Others refuse to play the game.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside considers this competitive structuring of school life to be very counterproductive. The brain works 30% better when it&#8217;s running on joy rather than anxiety. Students at Ambleside are not complacent but possess a fervency that is born of the joy and delight of learning and growing together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Christian classical schools have as central to their mission the formation of the minds and hearts of students. But beyond the use of inspirational classical texts in the older grades and the use of classroom management techniques to order student behavior, most classical schools have little understanding of dynamics of human formation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At Ambleside, there is a very clear, applied philosophy of human transformation. The tools of atmosphere (culture), discipline (the intentional training in habit), and living ideas (the intrinsic relations of persons and things) form a mutually reinforcing triad of human transformation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup> See blog on <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/children-are-born-persons\/\">Children as Persons<\/a>[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How do you evaluate your students without grades or competition?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767518264{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]In most schools, assessments take the form of assigning a grade to some form of work.\u00a0 The validity of this kind of assessment is very questionable. Often what is being assessed is the ability to take the test or complete the assignment, not knowledge. Then, there&#8217;s reporting; if a parent gets a document that says A, A, B, B, A, A, the parent really does not know what this means. What do students know? What do they not know? How are they growing? How are they not growing?\u00a0The traditional report card does not answer these questions. More problematic still is the fact that what a community values becomes the focus. If getting the grade is the value, students undervalue the learning itself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside believes that a teacher gains real knowledge of her students\u2019 growth in learning by attending to every bit of work a student does, both orally and in writing. Students\u2019 knowledge and understanding is continually assessed in every class. Teachers frequently call upon every student, ensuring active participation by all. Records are kept of student responses, both oral and written. Because class sizes are limited to sixteen, teachers know their students intimately. They know their capacities, where they are strong and where they are weak. Ambleside focuses on accountability for growth, giving consistent feedback, in a small class size, which allows for relationships with one another and the subjects studied.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Students use copybooks in many subjects, including Bible, composition, history, grammar, literature, mathematics, science, transcription, etc. These can be referenced at any time for accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness. Rather than filling out worksheets with true and false, matching, or multiple-choice questions, students tell what they know both in word and illustration.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This kind of global focus gives a much more accurate assessment than a percentage of correct answers on the weekly test for which they crammed. Twice a year, Ambleside parents receive a 12-14-page written report on their child detailing growth and need for further growth in both the varied content studied and relational maturity.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How does the role of a teacher in an Ambleside School differ from that role in other schools?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767555566{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]At Ambleside, teachers are given twelve to sixteen disciples for the year. The teacher&#8217;s primary responsibility is formation in the largest sense of the word. Formation includes the relationship with science, history, literature, and art, but it also includes much more. It includes the kind of person you&#8217;re being in relationship to self, others, and God. Teaching is both a ministry of discipleship and instruction in the formation of habits of skill and knowledge, equipping them for learning for a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In many schools, teacher roles are departmentalized. An eighth-grade literature teacher might have a hundred or more students. This makes discipleship quite impossible. At Ambleside, elementary and junior high students have a primary teacher with whom they spend most of the school day. Ambleside high schools use a team approach to discipleship, with primary teachers meeting regularly to discuss how the growth of each high school student can best be facilitated. Limiting class size to sixteen makes this possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Most teachers, with all good intentions, find it difficult to support students who are weak or who lack understanding in a particular field of knowledge, because they have not been trained in the art of <em>bringing up<\/em> a student in academic work or behavior. This common teacher weakness is often not addressed in education classes or at schools in general.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Because of this lack of understanding, students are divided into groups according to ability, specifically in disciplinary subjects such as reading and mathematics, making it easier for both the teachers and the students. Under such conditions, students have reason to equate challenge with failure in a particular area of study. More often than not, the student never rises above the lifelong struggle in those subjects. They hardly ever overcome it.\u00a0At Ambleside Schools, teachers are instructed to support weaknesses in students\u2019 knowledge and abilities through practice which is purposeful.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Do you have a STEM focus at an Ambleside School?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767600431{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]We have a broader than \u201cSTEM\u201d focus, one that builds on these topics and also includes the arts, literature, and music. One of Ambleside\u2019s fundamental convictions is that a broad curriculum inclusive in science, mathematics, technology, and mastery of the humanities prepares one for all kinds of relationships in a wide curriculum.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Our college system is predicated on standardized entrance exams. Are your students prepared to take those exams?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767580734{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]Because they are so well educated, Ambleside students have tended to do exceptionally well on standardized tests. Just given the breadth of their studies and curriculum, their vocabularies and math skills tend to be far above the norm. The rigorous thought they have learned helps prepare students for varied aspects of learning. And because of Ambleside\u2019s focus on \u201csoft,\u201d relational skills, Ambleside graduates tend to shine even more brightly in the interviews many colleges require.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In terms of practical preparation, Ambleside high schools offer after-school workshops to prepare for standardized tests. A teacher stays with students and helps with the practice and instructs in the varied kinds of testing. Ambleside recognizes that standardized tests are a hoop through which college-bound students must jump and prepares them to jump well.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How can the ideas of a 19th-century British educator be relevant today?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767634071{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]Charlotte Mason gave expression to truth, in much the same way that the 1st-century ideas of a man from Tarsus, or the 5th-century B.C. ideas of a man from Athens, or the 5th-century ideas of a Bishop from Northern Africa, might be relevant in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century.\u00a0 They are relevant because they give expression to truth, and truth is timeless and always relevant.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Mason built a pedagogy on a philosophy of education shaped by a Christian anthropology, convictions regarding who the student is and who he\/she is becoming. She also makes specific claims about the nature of knowledge and learning, claims that fit with a Christian epistemology (philosophy of knowledge).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Distinctly different from modern and post-modern philosophies of education, Charlotte Mason believed that all True, Good, and Beautiful Ideas are but expressions of the Eternal Logos. Therefore, all coming to know Truth is a coming to know something of the work of God. The preeminent teacher in an Ambleside classroom is the Holy Spirit.\u202f Every worthy idea, whether in grammar or history, poetry or science, reveals some aspect of our Creator. Therefore, it is the well-chosen text that is the focal point in an Ambleside classroom, be it a classic book, a math algorithm, a work of art, a science diagram, or a musical composition. The teacher\u2019s role is to direct the student&#8217;s attention to the mind of the author, artist, composer, algorithm, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Given this power of mind, it is essential that every student independently perform the act of knowing. Nothing can be truly learned by teacher activity alone. The primacy is with the active, not passive, student, who must perform the act of knowing. The teacher is not to be a lecturer. It is not her responsibility to write on the alleged \u201cblank slate\u201d of a student\u2019s mind. Rather, the teacher must be the facilitator of a mind-to-mind meeting between students and ideas presented in a well-chosen text.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Do your schools have sports teams?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767652149{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]Ambleside promotes lifelong sports, the kinds of activities that don&#8217;t require a large team and one can do for most of one&#8217;s life. Some of our schools have track and field, swimming, golf, tennis, and cross-country skiing. We don&#8217;t have a football or baseball team, even though we are not opposed to these activities. Some of our schools field basketball teams at times, but it&#8217;s for the joy of the sport and for the physical conditioning that comes along with them. We don&#8217;t have high competition in terms of trying to beat everyone else. It&#8217;s for the joy and love of the sport and for the building of healthy bodies. We do have Ambleside Schools who have won state championships in golf, tennis, and cross country, but that&#8217;s not a goal.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Ambleside Schools International\u2019s Mission Statement mentions the renewal of Christian education. What is your critique of Christian education, and what about it needs to be renewed?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767677183{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]After looking at dozens of different Christian schools, Ambleside&#8217;s founder, Maryellen St. Cyr, failed to find anything which could be described as a consistent educational philosophy and applied pedagogy. She saw a Christian understanding of God presented in Bible classes and chapel services, but the same pedagogical practices found in secular schools. All too often, children were not treated as persons but instead as products. Teachers were trying to get through in the best way they knew, but if the children displayed any weakness, they were rarely given the needed support. Instead, students were placed in the lowest reading group or taken to the lowest math class. Students rarely grew out of their weaknesses; rather, they were identified by them. Those who were strong stayed strong. Those who were weak, stayed weak.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are many sincere and committed Christian teachers in private and public schools. One must not underestimate the power of such a teacher being the fragrance of Christ in any school. However, people do what they know, and most educators at Christian schools have been educated in a reductionistic system grounded in a secular anthropology and epistemology. In most cases, if one videotaped what was happening in the 4th grade Christian school classroom and then went down the street to the public-school class from the same socioeconomic grouping and videotaped that class, they would look largely the same. What was being done would be largely the same in both. While most Christian schools have in their mission statement a noble vision, there&#8217;s little thought on how that might actually be worked out in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When Ambleside&#8217;s founder began to read Charlotte Mason, her eyes were opened to a whole new approach, one built on a philosophy and practice of education that is grounded in the truths that the child is a person and that we have been given three tools &#8211; atmosphere, discipline, and life &#8211; to educate the child.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;What do you mean by the phrase a living education?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767706070{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]What Charlotte Mason meant by <em>a<\/em> <em>living education<\/em> is the conviction that our minds require nourishment in the same way our body does. Minds are not just products, but they&#8217;re dynamic, alive. <em>A<\/em> <em>living education<\/em> seeks to provide what a living mind needs to flourish.\u00a0Charlotte Mason talks both about living books as a gateway to the mind and about living ideas in these living books, which furnish the mind with nutriment, real food for its growth and learning. There&#8217;s reciprocity in <em>a living education; <\/em>both teacher and students share in accessing the text in similar and diverse ways.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How would one distinguish one of these living books that Charlotte Mason referenced?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1709767733038{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]Living books are idea-rich, inspirational in language, thought, and picture.\u00a0 They participate in the transmission of the True, Good, and Beautiful. They are formative in ways of thinking and being, facilitating a mind-to-mind engagement with the author. They are potent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If a book is not living; it is twaddle, a thing void of inspirational ideas. If a story does not capture the mind such that one idea gives birth to another idea and then another and another, it is lifeless, possessing nothing that engages the heart or the mind of the reader. This is not to suggest that living books lack humor, suspense, sadness, and exhilarating plots. But there is so much more, and the author engages readers through artistry in the use of language and the elements of literature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>During Charlotte Mason&#8217;s life, children&#8217;s literature was not so common as today. Books were not as available. Parents and teachers read books to their children and students. They read books filled with living ideas, books like<em> Robinson Crusoe<\/em>. And the books spoke into the lives of readers. The children became accustomed to well-crafted language and inspirational ideas. Today, we underestimate the capacity of a young child to share in an author&#8217;s profound thoughts and to use an author\u2019s language after listening to a story. Children used to be fed from the earliest years on a diet of living ideas. Today, too many only offer children twaddle.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How, according to Charlotte Mason, does character formation occur in schools?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1763582247496{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221;]<span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Charlotte Mason said \u201ccharacter formation is the chief end of education.\u201d While most Christian, charter, and other private schools have character formation as a priority, Charlotte Mason articulated a coherent philosophy of human growth and flourishing that provides a \u201cliving education\u201d &#8212; one that fosters character and habit formation and enables students to author lives that are rich and full.<\/span>[\/vc_toggle][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_b=&#8221;0&#8243; row_hide_lg=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Mobile Content&#8221;][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1641&#8243; img_size=&#8221;300&#215;300&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Frequently Asked Questions&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:left|color:%23000000&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Why does your mission statement call for the renewal of Christian education, rather than just for the renewal of education in general?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1704996852482{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]By the renewal of Christian education, the intention is to revive an authentic Christian philosophy of education with the pedagogical practice informed by the philosophy.\u00a0\u00a0It is not just the teaching of another worldview; it is the teaching itself which is founded\/established upon the worldview. Every educational system has an underlying philosophy informing its pedagogy. The models of education we have grown up under are largely products of the Enlightenment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One thinks of Locke, for whom knowledge was the sensible apprehension of data which one mastered. The human mind was considered a blank slate. The process of education consisted of data and technique being transcribed on to the blank slate,\u00a0beginning with the young child through adulthood. Another Enlightenment thinker, Rousseau, believed that human persons have innately within them all they need, and the role of education consisted of\u00a0 self-expression and self-discovery. These philosophies are the foundations of the two primary system of behaviorism and constructivism, which underlie education today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In their experience as K-12 students and in their university training, the great majority of Christian educators have been educated according to behaviorist and constructivist principles. These secular principles have informed their philosophy and pedagogy, their individual practice on to which Bible class, prayer, and the entire syllabi are simply added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Every philosophy of education involves both an anthropology (an understanding of the nature of persons, including student and teacher) and an epistemology (an understanding of the nature of knowledge and its acquisition). The pedagogical practice in most Christian schools is based upon a secular anthropology and a epistemology. While there may be uniquely Christian content (Bible class, chapel, etc.) and faithful Christian teachers, still the fundamental pedagogical practice remains the same as the secular school down the street.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Distinctly different from either behaviorist or constructivist pedagogies. Charlotte Mason based her pedagogy on the conviction that all Good, True, and Beautiful Ideas are but expressions of the Eternal Logos. Therefore, all coming to know Truth is a coming to know something of the work of God. The preeminent teacher in an Ambleside classroom is the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Every worthy idea, whether in grammar or history, poetry, or science, reveals some aspect of our Creator. Therefore, it is the well-chosen text that is the focal point in an Ambleside classroom, be it a classic book, a math algorithm, a work of art, a science diagram, or a musical composition. The teacher\u2019s role is to direct the student&#8217;s attention to the mind of the author, artist, composer, algorithm and so on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Given this power of mind, it is essential that every student independently perform the act of knowing. Nothing can be truly learned by teacher activity alone. The primacy is with the student, who must perform the act of knowing. The teacher is not to be a lecturer. It is not her responsibility to write on the alleged \u201cblank slate\u201d of a student\u2019s mind.\u202f\u202f\u00a0Rather, the teacher must be the facilitator of a mind-to-mind meeting between students and ideas presented in a well-chosen text.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Ambleside Schools International\u2019s Mission Statement mentions the renewal of Christian education. What is your critique of Christian education, and what about it needs to be renewed?&#8221;]After looking at dozens of different Christian schools, Ambleside&#8217;s founder, Maryellen St Cyr, failed to find anything which could be described as a consistent educational philosophy and applied pedagogy. \u00a0She saw a Christian understanding of God presented in Bible classes and chapel services, but the same pedagogical practices found in secular schools. All too often, children were not treated as persons but as products. Teachers were trying to get through in the best way they knew, but if the children displayed any weakness, they were rarely given the needed support. Instead, students were placed in the lowest reading group or taken to the lowest math class. Students rarely grew out of their weaknesses, rather they were identified by them. Those who were strong stayed strong. Those who were weak, stayed weak.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are many sincere and committed, Christian teachers in private and public schools. One must not underestimate the power of such a teacher being the fragrance of Christ in any school. However, people do what they know, and most educators at Christian schools have been educated in a reductionistic system grounded in a secular anthropology and epistemology. In most cases, if one videotaped what was happening in the 4th grade Christian School classroom and went down the street to the public-school class from of the same socioeconomic grouping and videotaped the class, they would look largely the same. What was being done would be largely the same in both classes. While most Christian schools have in their mission statement a noble vision, there&#8217;s little thought on how that might actually be worked out in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When Ambleside&#8217;s founder began to read Charlotte Mason, her eyes were opened to a whole new approach, one built the philosophy and practice of education that is grounded in the truths that the child is a person and that we have been given three tools\u2014atmosphere, discipline, and life\u2014to educate the child.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How does an Ambleside education differ from other models of education such as the classical, Christian education?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1704997267798{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]The term classical is claimed by schools as unique and diverse as the numerous Christian denominations.\u00a0Perhaps the primary point of unity is that in most classical schools, fundamental learning objectives are divided according to three proposed stages of learning, the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. These proposed stages define the kinds of learning to be expected and are alleged to build upon one another.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside insists that every grade incorporates all three of these aspects of learning and that students in kindergarten and first grades can grasp not only facts but a broad array of ideas and to compose their own cogent responses to them. At Ambleside, children of all ages are seen as having a great capacity. What distinguishes the young from the old is not capacity but experience and needed background.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Classical schooling often begins with the quantifying of student skills and abilities. Some will only accept students of \u201cabove average\u201d ability, at age five! When students of \u201cnormal\u201d or \u201cbelow average\u201d ability are accepted, children are assessed and grouped into ability levels. What does a five-year-old begin to believe about herself when she is placed in the lowest reading group and continues year after year, without the expectation of real growth and without the kind of support that transforms weakness to strength?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>An Ambleside education begins with the conviction that Children are Persons<sup>1<\/sup>, that every child defies our capacity for measurement. Other school models would not argue with this foundational truth at face value, but in the application of this principle they veer in the wrong direction. At Ambleside, teachers are keenly aware of each student\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, but no child is ever defined or labeled by his or her weaknesses. Students are not grouped according to ability, for Ambleside recognizes that optimal growth for all occurs when the strong and weak face life together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In most classical schools, one finds the same competitive grind that is present in traditional public and private schooling. Students strive to win awards, get the highest grades, be the best, outperform their peers, and tend to live in a high-anxiety, competitive atmosphere rather than a high-joy, life-giving atmosphere.\u00a0Some play to win the competition. Others refuse to play the game.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside considers this competitive structuring of school life to be very counterproductive. The brain works 30% better when it&#8217;s running on joy rather than anxiety. Students at Ambleside are not complacent but possess a fervency that is born of the joy and delight of learning and growing together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Christian classical schools have as central to their mission the formation of the minds and hearts of students. But beyond the use of inspirational classical texts in the older grades and the use of classroom management techniques to order student behavior, most classical schools have little understanding of dynamics of human formation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At Ambleside, there is a very clear, applied philosophy of human transformation. The tools of atmosphere (culture), discipline (the intentional training in habit) and living ideas (the intrinsic relations of persons and things) form a mutually reinforcing triad of human transformation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup> See blog on <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/children-are-born-persons\/\">Children as Persons<\/a>[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How do you evaluate your students without grades or competition?&#8221; style=&#8221;arrow&#8221; color=&#8221;black&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1704997340567{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]In most schools, assessments take the form of assigning a grade to some form of work. \u00a0The validity of this kind of assessment if very questionable. Often what is being assessed is the ability to take the test or complete the assignment, not knowledge. Then, there&#8217;s reporting\u2014if a parent gets a document that says A, A, B, B, A, A, the parent really does not know what this means. What do students know? What do they not know? How are they growing? How are they not growing?\u00a0The traditional report card does not answer these questions. More problematic still is the fact that what a community values becomes the focus. If getting the grade is the value, students undervalue the learning itself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ambleside believes that a teacher gains real knowledge of her students\u2019 growth in learning by attending to every bit of work a student does, both orally and in writing. Students\u2019 knowledge and understanding is continually assessed in every class. Teachers frequently call upon every student, ensuring active participation by all. Records are kept of student responses, both oral and written. Because class sizes are limited to sixteen, teachers know their students intimately and know their capacities, where they are strong, and where they are weak.\u00a0Ambleside focuses on accountability for growth giving consistent feedback, in a small class size which allows for relationships with one another, and the subjects studied.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Students use copybooks in many subjects, including Bible, composition, history, grammar, literature, mathematics, science, transcription, etc. These can be referenced at any time for accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness. Rather than filling out worksheets with true and false, matching, or multiple-choice questions. Students tell what they know both in word and illustration.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This kind of global focus gives much more accurate assessment than a percentage of correct answers on the weekly test for which they crammed. Twice a year, Ambleside parents receive a 12-14-page written report on their child detailing growth and need for further growth in both the varied content studied and relational maturity.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How does the role of a teacher in an Ambleside School differ from that role in other schools?&#8221;]At Ambleside, teachers are given twelve to sixteen disciples for the year. The teacher&#8217;s primary responsibility is formation in the largest sense of the word. Formation includes the relationship with science, history, literature, art, but it also includes much more. It includes the kind of person you&#8217;re being in relationship to self, others, God. Teaching is both a ministry of discipleship and instruction, the formation of habits of skill and knowledge, equipping them for learning for a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In many schools, teacher roles are departmentalized. An eighth-grade literature teacher might have a hundred or more students. This makes discipleship quite impossible. \u00a0At Ambleside schools, elementary and junior high students have a primary teacher with whom they spend most of the school day. Ambleside high schools use a team approach to discipleship, with primary teachers meeting regularly to discuss how the growth of each high school student can best be facilitated. Limiting calls size to sixteen makes this possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Most teachers, with all good intentions, find it difficult to support students who are weak or who lack understanding in a particular field of knowledge, because they have not been trained in the art of <em>bringing up<\/em> a student in academic work or behavior. This common teacher weakness is often not addressed in education classes or at schools in general.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Because of this lack of understanding, students are divided into groups according to ability, specifically in disciplinary subjects such as reading and mathematics, making it easier for both the teachers and the students. Under such conditions, students have reason to equate challenge with failure in a particular area of study. More often than not, the student never arises above the lifelong struggle in those subjects. They hardly ever overcome it.\u00a0At Ambleside Schools teachers are instructed to support weaknesses in students\u2019 knowledge and abilities through practice which is purposeful.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Our college system is predicated on standardized entrance exams. Are your students prepared to take those exams?&#8221;]Because they are so well educated, Ambleside students have tended to do exceptionally well on standardized tests. Just given the breadth of their studies and curriculum, their vocabularies and math skills tend to be far above the norm. Our students have done very well on standardized tests. The rigorous thought they have learned helps prepare students for varied aspects of learning. Because of Ambleside\u2019s focus on \u201csoft,\u201d relational skills, Ambleside graduates tend to shine even more brightly in the interviews many colleges require.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In terms of practical preparation, Ambleside high schools offer after-school workshops to prepare for standardized. A teacher stays with students and helps with the practice and instructs in the varied kinds of testing. Ambleside recognizes that standardized tests are a hoop through which college-bound students must jump and prepares them to jump well.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Do you have a STEM focus at an Ambleside School?&#8221;]We have a broader than \u201cSTEM\u201d focus, one that builds on these topics and also includes the arts, literature, and music. One of Ambleside\u2019s fundamental convictions is a broad curriculum inclusive in science, mathematics, technology, and mastery of the humanities preparing one for all kinds of relationships in a wide curriculum.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How can the ideas of a 19th-century British educator be relevant today?&#8221;]Charlotte Mason gave expression to truth, in much the same way that the 1st-century ideas of a man from Tarsus, or the 5th-century B.C. ideas of a man from Athens, or the 5th-century ideas of a Bishop from Northern Africa might be relevant in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century. \u00a0They are relevant because they give expression to truth, and truth is timeless and always relevant.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Mason built a pedagogy on a philosophy of education shaped by a Christian anthropology, convictions regarding who the student is and who he\/she is becoming. She also makes specific claims about the nature of knowledge and learning, claims that fit with a Christian epistemology (philosophy of knowledge).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Distinctly different from modern and post-modern philosophes of education, Charlotte Mason believed that all Good, True, and Beautiful Ideas are but expressions of the Eternal Logos. Therefore, all coming to know Truth is a coming to know something of the work of God. The preeminent teacher in an Ambleside classroom is the Holy Spirit.\u202f\u00a0Every worthy idea, whether in grammar or history, poetry, or science, reveals some aspect of our Creator. Therefore, it is the well-chosen text that is the focal point in an Ambleside classroom, be it a classic book, a math algorithm, a work of art, a science diagram, or a musical composition. The teacher\u2019s role is to direct the student&#8217;s attention to the mind of the author, artist, composer, algorithm and so on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Given this power of mind, it is essential that every student independently perform the act of knowing. Nothing can be truly learned by teacher activity alone. The primacy is with the active, not passive student, who must perform the act of knowing. The teacher is not to be a lecturer. It is not her responsibility to write on the alleged \u201cblank slate\u201d of a student\u2019s mind.\u202f\u202f\u00a0Rather, the teacher must be the facilitator of a mind-to-mind meeting between students and ideas presented in a well-chosen text.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;Do your schools have sports teams?&#8221;]Ambleside promotes lifelong sports, the kinds of activities that don&#8217;t require a large team and one can do for most of one&#8217;s life. Some of our schools have track and field, swimming, golf, tennis, cross-country skiing. We don&#8217;t have a football team and a baseball team, even though we are not opposed to these activities. Some of our schools field basketball teams at times, but it&#8217;s for the joy of the sport and for the physical conditioning that comes along with them. We don&#8217;t have high competition in terms of trying to beat everyone else. It&#8217;s for the joy and love of the sport and for the building of healthy bodies. We do have Ambleside Schools who have won state championships in golf, tennis, and cross country, but that&#8217;s not a goal.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;What do you mean by the phrase a living education?&#8221;]What Charlotte Mason meant by &#8220;living education&#8221; is the conviction that our minds require nourishment in the same way our body does. Minds are not just products, but they&#8217;re dynamic, alive. A living education seeks to provide what a living mind needs to flourish. Charlotte Mason talks both about living books as a gateway to the mind, and then she also speaks about living ideas in the living books, which furnish the mind with nutriment, real food for its growth and learning. There&#8217;s reciprocity in a living education, both teacher and students share in accessing the text in similar and diverse ways.[\/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=&#8221;How would one distinguish one of these living books that Charlotte Mason referenced?&#8221;]Living books are idea rich, inspirational in language, thought, and picture. \u00a0They participate in the transmission of the Good, True, and Beautiful. \u00a0They are formative in ways of thinking and being, facilitating a mind-to-mind engagement with the author. They are potent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If a book is not living; it is twaddle, a thing void of inspirational ideas. If a story does not capture the mind such that one idea gives birth to another idea and then another and another, it is lifeless, possessing nothing that engages the heart or the mind of the reader. This is not to suggest that living books lack humor, suspense, sadness, and exhilarating plots. But there is so much more, and the author engages readers through artistry in the use of language and the elements of literature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>During Charlotte Mason&#8217;s life, children&#8217;s literature was not so common as today. Books were not as available. Parents and teachers read books to their children and students. They read books filled with living ideas, books like<em> Robinson Crusoe<\/em>. And the books spoke into the lives of readers. The children became accustomed to well-crafted language and inspirational ideas. Today, we underestimate the capacity of a young child to share in an author&#8217;s profound thoughts and to use an author\u2019s language after listening to a story. Children used to be fed from the earliest years on a diet of living ideas. Today, too many only offer children twaddle.[\/vc_toggle][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; row_hide_lg=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Mobile Sidebar Links&#8221;][vc_column][vc_separator width=&#8221;50&#8243; width_in_percentages=&#8221;yes&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;30&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>About<\/strong> Ambleside Schools International.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;15&#8243;]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><div class=\"container row_section vc_row_cp_lr_15 vc_row_cp_t_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-30 vc_row-6953a90041b14734499614\"   style=' text-align:left; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a90041bda278503951\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90041c83453550495\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/philosophy-of-education\/\">Philosophy<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_7\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90041d51445170569\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/history\/\" title=\"History\">Our History<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_8\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90041dff630218864\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/faith-commitment\/\">Faith Commitment<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_9\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90041ec1839113726\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/accreditation\/\">Accreditation<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_10\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90041f95972594858\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/staff-and-board\/\">Staff and Board<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_11\"   style=\"height: 10px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_heading_6953a90042093920639775\" ><h5 style=\"font-size: 17px;color: #000000;text-align: left\"><span class=\"hilight\"  ><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/get-in-touch\/\" title=\"Contact Us\">Contact Us<\/a><\/span><\/h5><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; custom_padding_t=&#8221;15&#8243; custom_padding_b=&#8221;15&#8243; gap=&#8221;1&#8243; row_hide_sm=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_md=&#8221;yes&#8221; row_hide_xs=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1623950802503{background-color: #63513e !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Desktop Footer&#8221;][vc_column vertical_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\">.vc_custom_1630876541940{background-color: #63513e !important;}.vc_custom_1646939858626{background-color: #63513e !important;}.vc_custom_1651610025445{padding-top: 10px !important;}<\/style><div class=\"container-fluid row_section vc_row_cp_lr_15 vc_row_cp_t_0 vc_row_cp_b_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1630876541940 vc_row-has-fill vc_column-gap-1 rdy_vc_row-o-equal-height rdy_vc_row-flex vc_row-6953a900422d0759846870\"   style=' text-align:left; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-3 vc_column_container_6953a9004239a811114019 column_vertical_align_center\" style=\"text-align:left;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"rdy_share rdy_share-12 rdy_share-simple social-align-left\" >\r\n                    <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item facebook-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/amblesideschoolsinternational\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item instagram-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/amblesideschools\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-instagram\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item linkedin-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ambleside-schools-international\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item pinterest-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/amblesideschool\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-pinterest\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item youtube-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AmblesideSchools\/featured\"><i class=\"fa fa-youtube\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item vimeo-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/amblesideschools\"><i class=\"fa fa-vimeo\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n                <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-9 vc_column_container_6953a90042502623417958\" style=\"text-align:right;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column_13 wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \">\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\" >\n\t\t\t<h5 style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/about-us\/\">ABOUT US<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/get-in-touch\/\">CONTACT US<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/stay-in-touch\/\">SIGN UP<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/privacy-policy\/\">LEGAL\/PRIVACY<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"color: #cf7f00;\"> <a style=\"color: #cf7f00;\" href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/donate\/\">DONATE<\/a><\/span><\/h5>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container row_section vc_row_cp_lr_0 vc_row_cp_t_0 vc_row_cp_b_0\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1646939858626 vc_row-has-fill vc_column-gap-30 vc_row-6953a900426bb010515753\"   style=' text-align:left; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a900427a1539287036\" style=\"z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_custom_1651610025445 vc_custom_heading_6953a900428cd449398823\" ><p style=\"font-size: 12px;color: #ffffff;text-align: right\"><span class=\"hilight\"  >Ambleside\u00ae and the Ambleside Skylark\u2122 are trademarks of Ambleside Schools International. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content_no_spaces&#8221; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; gap=&#8221;0&#8243; text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; row_hide_lg=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1624045645288{background-color: #63513e !important;}&#8221; el_id=&#8221;Mobile Footer&#8221;][vc_column vertical_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\">.vc_custom_1623876600251{background-color: #63513e !important;}.vc_custom_1651610075844{padding-right: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;}<\/style><div class=\"container-fluid row_section vc_row_p_30\"><div  class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1623876600251 vc_row-has-fill rdy_vc_row-o-equal-height rdy_vc_row-flex vc_row-6953a90042b17974828522 no-spaces\"   style=' text-align:center; z-index:0;'><div class=\"row-container container-fluid\"><div class=\"row-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a90042c22347472248 column_vertical_align_center\" style=\"text-align:center;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_14\"   style=\"height: 25px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid vc_column-gap-1 vc_row-6953a90042d6b890199763\" style=\"text-align:center; z-index:0;\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 vc_column_container_6953a90042e72392848331 column_vertical_align_center\" style=\"text-align:center;z-index:0\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column_15 wpb_text_column wpb_content_element  vc_custom_1651610075844\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\" >\n\t\t\t<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ambleside\u00ae and the Ambleside Skylark\u2122 are trademarks of Ambleside Schools International. All rights reserved.<\/h5>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_16\"   style=\"height: 25px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column_17 wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \">\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\" >\n\t\t\t<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesideschools.org\/privacy-policy\/\">Legal \/ Privacy<\/a><\/h5>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> <div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_18\"   style=\"height: 25px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"rdy_share rdy_share-19 rdy_share-simple social-align-center\" >\r\n                    <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item facebook-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/amblesideschoolsinternational\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item instagram-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/amblesideschools\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-instagram\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item linkedin-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ambleside-schools-international\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item pinterest-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/amblesideschool\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-pinterest\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item youtube-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AmblesideSchools\/featured\"><i class=\"fa fa-youtube\"><\/i><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"rdy_share-item vimeo-hover\" href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/amblesideschools\"><i class=\"fa fa-vimeo\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n                <\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  vc_empty_space_20\"   style=\"height: 25px\" ><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ABOUT US Philosophy History Faith Commitment Accreditation Staff and Board Employment Contact Us FAQ | MEMBERS Member School Benefits Find a Member School Member School Login | JOBS | CONTACT [...]","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1912","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - 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