When I watch children get out of their morning carpools, I often think how complicated school and the enterprise of education can be. They arrive with their relative strengths and weaknesses, enthusiasms and worries, and a book bag full of expectations, only some of which they have packed, plus they are constantly changing and not all in the same ways or at the same pace. In their school day, they will encounter many of life’s timeless challenges: the need for motivation and perseverance, the values of friendship and the tests of character, individual differences and community norms. Those who describe or criticize schools often miss the complexity of everything that happens in school. For those of us who spend the day teaching children, our job is to embrace it. I encourage you to dig deep in looking at Paideia School. There are many ways to compile information and perspective. On this web site and in other Paideia publications, there are enough words to fill an encyclopedia. Check with a variety of people who have attended Paideia or who have or have had children here. Come to prospective parent information meetings and ask questions; arrange for a tour with the admissions office. Look at school data you find relevant. Try to get a feel for the culture of the school and important dimensions of its intellectual and emotional climate. Consider some immeasurable things: the enthusiasm for learning apparent in students of all ages, the appreciation of diversity, the respect for excellence, the opportunity for service to others, and the natural flow of empathy. A good school, like good teaching, is an art, and no school is perfect. Two generations of parents and teachers have joined together to build the best school we can, and we are committed to making it better with each passing year. We hope you get to know Paideia, and we welcome your interest.