The five students seated around him are pondering ways to prevent terrorists from hunting endangered marine animals within a mile of their country's coastline, which has been designated a no-hunting zone by the United Nations. It's a concept that arose from the core of Arlington's holistic community, a group of people who believe in living life with soundness of body and mind achieved through spirituality, herbs, healthful foods, and other alternative methods. The three became the school's board of directors and began researching ways to bring it to life.
Spirituality figures prominently in the school's mission.
We want our kids to be open and understand other beliefs and opinions, not just religion but other things, too, such as cultural differences. I guess you could probably call me a pagan. That's five times the estimated number in 1990. And although The Tree of Knowledge school is technically a private school, because the children aren't taught exclusively at home by their parents, this type of small, alternative schooling is catching on in much the same way as home-schooling. Ed Nagel, national office manager for the National Coalition of Alernative Community Schools, which supports any type of education not publicly funded and now has 300 member schools, says there are thousands of alternative schools in this country.