With one week left to go before the end of our very first semester I thought it might be a good time to share my thoughts on the incredible experience of founding a not for profit private school. The Verdi EcoSchool was born out of frustration and a soul-deep belief that our children deserve more than an educational experience built upon a foundation of standardized assessments and rote memorization. Jean Piaget asserted that children are not "empty vessels to be filled with