"My vision of the future is no longer just of people taking exams, earning a secondary diploma, and proceeding on to university, but of individuals passing from one stage of independence to a higher, by means of their own activity, through their own effort of will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual." — Maria Montessori, The Erdkinder

What does “erdkinder” mean?

Erdkinder translates to “children of the earth,” and Maria Montessori used it to describe students entering their teenage years and preparing to enter the larger, global community. She stressed the developmental need for students at this age to establish independence from their families, but the importance of doing so in a protected and secure environment.

At Truth, this means giving students an opportunity to do work for an audience that stretches beyond the classroom and school, and that influences society and the broader community. It can mean writing book reviews and sharing them online with the public, harvesting produce from our school farm and selling it at the Fort Totten farmer’s market, managing the budget, inventory, and sales for our on-line student store, or any of the other ways Truth kids interface and contribute to the D.C. community beyond our classroom walls.