Children who attend project based charter schools are subject to an entirely different form of education than public school’s education. At many charter schools students are expected to engage in critical thinking and be involved in discussions and projects nearly every day. The outcome of being given this education is a love of learning and a desire to continue learning long after school is over.
A project based charter school focuses on action and technique, using the best thinking and teaching techniques to empower students to do their best. With that focus the students read literature books and then write essays on how that book relates to the human condition and proof of that condition in history. English class is not the only class where students are encouraged to engage in active projects; in history class students learn about American, European and Asian histories and then analyze through discussions and projects the repercussions of major events. These discussions are long and intense and they require students to think outside the box and open their minds to new ideas. Students are forced to see humanity in all of its shades and think of how they can prevent awful events from happening again.
Another area in project based education that good charter schools focus on is the fine arts. Students can take music, art and dance classes before graduating high school. This allows students to experience all areas of artistic expression. In art class students are encouraged to express their souls through painting, origami, sculpting, or drawing. In music class or even theatre, students are encouraged to raise their voices and express their life through singing and acting, and in dance they can express their culture in performance. Close to the end of every semester, music and dance students perform for their community. Students present the very best of what they have learned over the course of the semester. Dance students are taught choreography based on what they have learned. Music students work on perfecting their voices to become one voice in each song they choose to sing.
One of the most important classics that students study is virtues. In this class the teacher teaches the students about a virtue and then the students discuss the virtue. The point of this class is to force students to decide what these virtues mean to them and how they can apply it on a personal level. Often students write essays on the seven virtues and begin working on their senior project. In the brainstorming process for their project the student must think of how their project embodies at least two of the seven virtues. In many charter schools each senior must go before a group of teachers and members of the Board alone and defend how their project embodies the virtue. This oral exam is perhaps the most important part of the student’s education at Xavier. It forces the student to think about how they will use the knowledge they have learned and apply it in life.
All of these areas that charter schools do in accordance with project based education are meant to shape and mold the students into ladies and gentlemen who do not know useless facts but are people who have been taught how to apply useful facts into their lives. This education shapes the students to be citizens who not only live in society but those who aid society. This education creates courage and leadership in students and turns them into people who want to see society change and work hard to make their dream a reality. In David Orr’s words, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up”. People who truly want to see change work toward that end.