Academic Standards
At IMA, we believe one of the most powerful tools we can give our students is the ability to solve problems. By providing a framework for children to scrutinize information and trust in their own abilities to think, we give them the gift of confidence and the power of choice. Relying on a core set of adaptable skills verses a treasury of memorized facts, our students continue to ask questions and ponder solutions - in secondary school and beyond.
Visit our Early Childhood and Elementary pages for a more in depth look at schedules and standards.
The IMA Student Mindset
At IMA we...
Start things.
We solve problems & pursue interests. We start businesses. We don't just follow plans of other people — we make our own. We always have goals & projects in mind, and exercise control over how we spend our time. We're confident, and still ask for help.
Understand systems.
We're curious about how things fit together — and we ask how they could fit better. We ask how things got this way. We zoom out to the big picture, and in to the details, spotting things others miss. We can see the world from different perspectives. We know that every solution will cause its own unintended effects. We think about the real world that spans all academic subjects.
Work hard & work smart.
We work on all parts of a project — even those we don't like. We can focus deeply. We are motivated to do real work. We work efficiently: we don't just throw ourselves at a problem. We know how to gain new skills.
Understand people.
We understand people of different cultures, ages, beliefs, and personalities. We understand some of what they want (and don't), what they assume, and why they do what they do. We understand how we're all different, and how we're all the same.
Communicate with others.
We can communicate through our words, our voice, and our bodies. We explain ourselves, tell stories, ask questions — and listen for an answer. We can communicate through our posture, our eyes, our gestures, and our tone. We can work on a team, and go it on our own. We can criticize carefully and take criticism ourselves.