Making Good People
Our purpose at Walden International School, beyond offering a superior academic and IB programme to our children, is to help every child discover that out of goodness arises greatness.
When you walk through the doorway to our school you enter an environment dedicated to making good people.
You might well ask what we mean by making good people.
It means creating an environment and programmes built on a firm belief in our shared humanity.
It means teaching children that the world is about much more than the achievement of high marks and the accomplishment of standardized goals.
It means recognizing each child as an individual with their own needs, interests, talents and abilities.
It means showing them how kindness, respect and presence are central to a meaningful, purposeful life.
It means starting with the youngest child and staying the course throughout their time with us and empowering them to practice humanity when they leave our care.
Walden kids are different.
They are resilient, curious, giving and good. At Walden, we make good people in the knowledge that from goodness arises greatness. We are dedicated to cultivating and preparing principled, compassionate and confident young people who will become globally responsible citizens.
Our balanced world class education, with a unique focus on wellness, fosters respect and harmony for self and with others; and, empowers students to imagine, explore and achieve a peaceful and sustainable future.
That is our commitment.
History
Walden International School - Oakville, located on the grounds of the former Glenburnie School site, a private school founded in 1985. When its founder retired in 2018, the school was purchased by the Perugini family who established the first Walden International School in Brampton in 2016.
The original building on the Oakville site was constructed as a family home by a Swedish gentleman who immigrated to Canada in search of an improved educational system for his son. The architecture of the present school reflects this heritage, providing a scale and warmth conducive to the Walden educational program.
Head of School
Welcome to Walden, where our shared commitment is
to make good people because we know that
from goodness arises greatness.
We inspire even the youngest students in our Early Years classroom to reach beyond what they know through inquiry and reflection. And, by embracing daily challenges, they learn resilience and gain confidence, both hallmarks of success.
During my twenty five years as an educator, I have been fortunate to learn many valuable lessons and pursue my vision of educating young people. We must create an educational ecosystem where our children can flourish. We must establish an environment where students are nurtured with learning experiences that embrace a culture of compassion and empathy for the individual.
I spent most of my career as a high school teacher and administrator in one of the largest public school boards in Canada. During that time, through conversations with parents and colleagues and by observing students, I saw an increasing neglect of students’ fundamental needs.
Provincial test scores and graduation rates seemed to take on increasing importance and there was a noticeable shift from authentically student-centred education. Coupled with the impact of the internet and social media, our children just didn’t seem to stand a chance in this depleted ecosystem. Eventually, the gap between doing things right and doing what’s right became too great.
At that point, I decided to build my own school where the learning environment
Is caring
Fosters curiosity
Encourages self-expression
Celebrates diversity
Truly values inclusivity
This is what we offer at Walden International School and we welcome all who share our commitment to making good people.
Philosophy
Why Walden? What’s in a name? Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, our school is committed to fostering independent, self-reliant learners in a nature-centric environment. Our mandate is to model for our students the merits of subscribing to an unadorned approach to living while developing a worldly view in pursuit of academic excellence. As an international school with a globally-focused curriculum, we promise to deliver a rigorous, prestigious and necessary educational programme meeting the standards and demands of the world in which we live.
Global Learning
We believe, actually, we know, that we all learn more effectively when we remain curious and open to thoughts from people and institutions outside of our own silos. For example, we discovered this video from India’s Next School. It’s a great example of how we approach education at Walden and how we embrace global thinking. We hope you find it inspiring and relevant.
Faculty
The goodness that happens in our classrooms is not possible without the wonderful work of our teachers. Behind the scenes, they come together daily to develop an engaging program that opens minds, fosters innovation and generates curiosity. We never know what each day will bring. What we do know is that we can rely on the commitment of our teachers to collaborate and model good working and learning for the students. It is this kind of environment that makes a good school great - dedicated professional teachers, inspired and curious students and enthusiastic parents working together to ensure that from goodness arises greatness.
