REAL School Marin
is a unique, private middle school located in central Marin County, California.
We offer a personalized, intensive and integrated education for exceptional students
as they navigate the crucial transition from childhood to adolescence.
At A Glance:
- Small, mobile, communal
- Nourishing, intimate, and challenging environment
- Engaging and stimulating curriculum without busy work or excessive homework
- Hours that work for teens: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
- Home-like environment free of big-school pressure, bureaucracy and stress
- Caring, experienced, committed teachers
Who We Are:
We are passionate educators who are rethinking school for teenagers. Adolescence is a time of tumult. It is when kids fight the battle to leave childhood behind and enter the real world, a world that demands confidence, critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, social grace, and strong self-reliance. To make the journey, teenagers need adults who are not their parents to challenge them, guide them and cheer them when they manage to overcome a modest challenge or reach the summit of the mountain. The skills they need come not only from academic curriculum but from everything that happens in a day- from consensus-building at Council to collaborating on planning trips; from responsible daily housekeeping to the self-discovery of outdoor play. We are the mentors who teach them to integrate real life experience with the traditional liberal arts of the classroom.
Our Mission:
- To mentor students as they negotiate the early teen years
- To inspire a lifelong love of learning
- To meet rigorous academic standards meaningfully and authentically
- To follow the principle, "sound mind, sound body"
- To travel beyond the classroom and learn from the real world
- To create a school community of participation and service
We Believe That:
- The teachable moment is always now and always to be honored.
- A small group encourages individuality, mutual respect and accountability.
- Adolescence is hard work.
- Travel provides avenues for tremendous self-discovery.
- Mentoring inspires passionate learning and enriches intellectual growth.
- Personal responsibility is everyone's job.
- Emotional intelligence belongs in the curriculum.
- Teens learn by doing. When they feel known and are emotionally engaged, learning is fun.