While there may not be one right answer, to become a self-directed individual, we require some kind of compass to assess those decisions and consequences. It is nurtured through reflective thinking within and between people. As students become increasingly aware of the degree of choices they develop awareness of their interdependent role in community and it is possible to shift their thinking from reaction to wisdom. Time and process for reflective thinking is incorporated in the curriculum design to maximize this learning. Service projects include independent projects, team projects at school, and projects within the larger community.
Service is a promotion requirement.
Ethical Reasoning Ethical reasoning is a developmental process that combines consequential thinking with evaluative decision-making. To develop these skills requires attention to and discussion of our individual and group choices, of consequences, and the consequences of those consequences. Five Winds Charter School provides a culture which provokes this kind of inquiry for students and adults alike. Through class discussions, debates, family discussions, and journal writing, students learn to make evaluated decisions. Research indicates that in addition to discussion, the single most significant factor in developing principled behavior is young people's engagement with principled role models.