Is Your Program Academically Rigorous?

Today a parent who had been asking about Someday School told me that she would not be sending her child there, one of the reasons being that our website didn't mention anything about being academically rigorous.

That one stumped me for a minute.

First of all, I hate the word "rigorous." It is a newer buzzword in the education world, that showed up along with common core. I had an idea of what it meant, but I feel like people use it a lot in different ways. So I decided to look it up.

Some of the definitions of "rigorous" I found included. "extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate," and  "strictly applied or adhered to."

When I looked up "rigorous curriculum," I found, a hodgepodge of definitions. Some people feel that rigorous means a complete curriculum with assessments and expected outcomes. Others just think that it means the students will be working very hard. Some feel that rigorous assignments require students to think critically, creatively, and flexibly. Some say a rigorous assignment is one that requires students to think deeply and explain their thoughts, instead of just spitting out memorized answers. Some say a rigorous environment is one that is stimulating, engaging, and supportive. Some say that it means the work should be challenging.

Then there is the term "rigorous standards," which tends to mean that all students are held to the same high standards, regardless of their background or abilities.

So... are we academically rigorous? Jeez, I don't know!

We are not strict. We are flexible, willing to work with each child's individual abilities, interests and needs. So that would mean we are not rigorous.

We don't really have a curriculum at all... we offer classes, but each student is free to create their own curriculum as they go alone. Not rigorous.

We hope that, when allowed to study things that interest and excite them, the children will be more engaged and work harder. Maybe we are rigorous after all!

Will the children think critically, creatively, and flexibly? We certainly encourage them to, by focusing on independence and problem solving. Rigorous.

We will expect them to find their own ways to share what they learn and teach others, requiring them to think deeply and explain their thoughts. Rigorous.

Is our environment stimulating, engaging, and supportive? We will strive for it.

Will the work be challenging? We'll encourage the children to challenge themselves, setting their own goals and taking pride in their accomplishments.

Will we hold all students to the same standards? Well, no. We can't. They are not all the same people. We will teach them, and guide them, and we will watch with interest as they individually bloom. We absolutely do not have the same expecations for each one of them. One might become an astronout. One may become a police officer. One may  become an author, or an artist. We don't know. Our job is not to get them all to the point where we believe they should be, but to get them to reach as high as they can.

So, are we rigorous? I still don't know. What do you think?