Academic success is measurable with data.  Tests, grades on papers and projects, report cards, yearly test data, entrance exams to high schools, colleges and universities all provide good data regarding a student’s academic status.  Yet, success exceeds numbers on reports.

One of many 21st century skills for success calls for the ability to collaborate.  As an employee in a company or as a volunteer with a community program, take a moment to think about the meaning of the word ‘collaborate’.  Are you required to display any of the traits named below?  Now, translate your thinking into the implications for learning for children in their earliest years.  There are simple words to describe what it means to collaborate, yet it is necessary to teach and allow time for children to practice these skills as they develop within their social environment.  Whether it be through play, class projects, literature discussions, or through using technology, students learn these Life Skills while attending our school.

The following “Life Skills” have been and remain at the heart of education in The Phoenix Schools, Private K-8:

• Problem solving
• Patience
• Perseverance
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Courage
• Flexibility
• Sense of Humor
• Responsibility
• Organization
• Friendship
• Curiosity
• Initiative
• Caring
• Effort
• Common Sense