Longview Philosophy
Our name comes from our philosophy.  We aren't interested in the skills of the 8 year old, so much as who and what that 8 year old will be when our influence on his education is complete.  We aren't concerned if that 8 year old read at age 4, or still doesn't read competently.  Indeed we have had both types of students, and both have been very academically successful in the long run, so we say that we take the long view.

Think! Think! Think!  That is what we require of our students.  If we are learning to add, we work with our base 10 system, but also work with Roman numerals, binary, and other number base systems, and talk about value.  Are numbers somehow intrinsicly organized into 10's, what are numbers, and number systems, how would you create a number system? We ask questions of them, we expect them to ask question of us.  We expect thoughtful agreement and disagreement.  

We believe that all subjects are interrelated. We speak of nature in the same breath as evolution.  It is impossible to speak of  evolution, without also discussing the times and pressures of Darwin.  It is impossible to speak of World War II without also discussing the science and engineering of nuclear physics.  Science and engineering are building on a long history of discovery.  History is the study of human interaction, and humanity is not humanity without technology.  Language is in itself a technology, and writings are linked to the times of the author.  Math is a language.  And all of it is dependent upon the unique characteristics of our brain, which differ in sometimes great and sometimes subtle ways with the rest of the animal kingdom.

Interest!  The world is a facinating place!  We are facinated with all that is known, and so much that is yet to be known. We expect the young people we educate to also be facinated.  We don't expect them to be facinated with the same things we are. In fact, their unique natures will cause them to be facinated by different things, and the beauty of that is they will seek and discover more in their areas of interest, share those discoveries with us, and enrich our experiences, in much the same way we share with them.  

The future is impossible to predict.  What challenges our students will face is impossible to forsee.  But we believe the thoughtfulness, logic, interest, and experience with self learning they gain in these formative years will best equipt them to deal successfully with whatever they encounter.