Forman School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students with identified learning differences. Forman develops the whole student, based on each individual’s learning profile, so that all graduates become educated, confident self-advocates throughout life.
Civic Engagement Overview
At Forman, we develop the whole student, and this includes educating them to think critically about the world around them. This allows students to advocate for positive change in the communities they are a part of for their entire lives. We bring our core values with us as guidance for any topic. That is no different from our work with civic engagement. We want to graduate students who understand and impact the civic worlds they are a part of. We develop students who understand how to do this with respect and kindness while looking to understand the truth.
Guided by our mission, Forman develops students to become educated, confident self-advocates throughout life. Furthermore, Forman is committed to sustaining an inclusive environment that fosters a deeper understanding of differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical origin, physical ability, and family structure. We believe society is bettered when we learn from and embrace those with different experiences and perspectives from our own.
Several years ago, Forman formalized its core values and sought to promote and support the basic governing principles that underscore every good community. Our community values Truth, Respect, and Kindness.
Truth
How does one build truth? How do students build their capacity to understand how to seek the truth while staying curious and humble in their desire to learn the truth?
Respect
How can we practice being respectful in all conversations? How can this respect deepen students’ abilities to learn and engage in healthy dialogues that value different opinions?
Kindness
How can we embrace kindness every day so that we build relationships as a community who can disagree or have difficult conversations with integrity and compassion, while still knowing that we are Lions united in our common mission? We encourage discourse around ideas and leave the judgment of people out of the conversation.
Guidelines
Emotional and physical safety are paramount in creating an inclusive and engaged learning community
Engage by connecting first
Focus on freedom of expression
Celebrate intellectual diversity
Stay curious and kind
Listen to understand, not to respond
No-Statement Statement
Stance-taking undermines student curiosity and inquiry, marginalizing dissenting points of view. We, as a school, do not want to choose a polarizing viewpoint that pits people against each other unless it directly impacts the operation of our school community. We want to create space for the expression and exploration of different ideologies and perspectives. Additionally, we want to be mindful of the power differential in the teacher/student relationship and the conflict of interest in expressing a particular viewpoint. This means our colleagues are disciplined in their nonpartisanship at school. This does not mean that colleagues will not speak about politics, but they will speak about them in a way that deepens student engagement and understanding. We will always focus on affirming and supporting our core values and building an inclusive, intentional learning community.
