ray amir
carl dorman
alice kenney
bill kenney
jim stein
as teachers we have learned . . . .
in pinel, we have the freedom . . . .
as individuals, we believe . . . .
The founding of Pinel as an alternative in education
After several years of informal discussion we decided to systematically formulate our criticisms and recommendations
for publication. It became apparent, however, that one more book, especially
under the authorship of four unknown teachers, would have little chance
of effecting any change in our schools.
Pinel was established in 1962 as a genuine alternative in education that will have some effect upon
things as they are. In the summer of 1964, we purchased a six acre stie,
planned its use, build buildings, planted trees and made other physical
improvements.
Pinel is not a parent cooperative nor does it have a separate advisory or policy making board of directors.
The four founders are the teachers of the school and also serve as the
legal board of directors of a nonprofit corporation, Pinel. Our decision
making is immediately responsive to our primary activity as teachers of
children.
Pinel is not based upon any particular educational theory, unless it be the belief that children
do want to learn, and if a child does not want to learn, something has
gone wrong. We strive to establish those essentially simple conditions
wherein children can grow healthily and learn willingly, and we strive
to avoid those conditions which stifle individual self-sufficiency and
the desire to learn.
Direct and personal relationships among all teachers and students, smallness of school populations, true
nongradedness, the continual availablity of a rich natural environment,
teachers with diverse life experiences and interests, mobility away from
the campus, the selective use of many teaching techniques, and a genuine
flexibility of schedule are some of the conditions necessary to avoid subordinating
the well being and the education of children to inflexible administrative,
curricular and architectural conveniences.
The day to day operation of Pinel
Study and activity groups are small. All academic work is tutoral or organized like small seminars.
The abilities, interests and intellectual status of the children enrolled
at a given time determine the size, number, composition and subject matter
of the small study and activity groups. Trips away from campus in large
or small groups or for individual students are a normal occurrence at Pinel
as are visits to the school by people with particular talents or interests.
The formalisms of teaching and the discipline of learning are imposed by
the task at hand, be it mathematics, automobile repair or poetry.
Free play is not a luxury allowed the children so the are manageable during hours in a classroom.
Play is essential to the health and the development of intellectual and
creative capabilities. The enforced rest periods considered necessary for
children in the kindergarten and first grades of our schools are not found
at Pinel. Our young children thrive on a full school day without any formal
rest periods.
The ecological nature of Pinel
No one educational idea or technique adequately characterizes Pinel. Nongrading, for example, is
much in the educational wind these days. It is an important attempt to
break through an educationally artifical "grade level" timetable against
which children with all their individual differences are judged.
The application of the technique of nongrading is most often a piecemeal alteration within the inflexible
organization and physical environment of existing schools. On the other
hand, many of the specific teaching techniques and materials used at Pinel
do not differ greatly from those which may be found in the classrooms of
nearby schools. Nongrading, "cuisenaire rods," phonics or any other useful
technique of teaching or of organization must be considered in its educational
environment. Similar techniques lead very different lives from one environment
to another.
As a school that emphasizes smallness, teacher competency and breadth of experience, a child's relationship
to knowledge and not to a curriculum time-table, a multiple and flexible
use of teaching techniques, and an immediacy in the relationships of students,
teachers and the natural environment, Pinel has an ecological sanity that
is educationally efficient. It can provide security for the healthy growth
of children and stimulation for the development of their creative and intellectual
capabilities.
regular session
summer session
12 years teaching experience - b.a. sociology, m.a. anthropology, university of california - 2 seasons
ethnological field work, guatemala - special areas: spanish, dramatics,
music, poetry, creative writing.
16 years teaching experience - b.a. english language and literature, m.a. creative writing, boston university
- new england intercollegiate sabre champion - maker of things: 20-foot
sailboat, 16mm movie film producer, reflector telescope - special areas:
photography, ceramics, science, archery, fencing, electronics.
17 years teaching experience - b.a. psychology, stanford university - special areas - young children:
reading, printing; old children: english and history.
15 years teaching experience - b.s. political science, graduate work department of asian studies, stanford
university - 4 years assistant professor, san francisco state college -
2 years study at american academy of asian studies, m.a. education and
psychology, san francisco state college - special areas: remedial reading
and math; diagnostic testing, creative writing, golf.
10 years teaching experience - b.s. elementary education, san francisco state college - folk singer,
numerous concert appearances and workshops - special areas: guitar, banjo,
recorders, other folk instruments, music composition, photography.
teaching does not mean learning is taking place.
children want to learn; children learn best when involved in
things they like to do.
to present an almost unlimited range of experience to our
students and the freedom to follow and encourage each
student as he finds his own direction.
a liberal arts education makes it possible to maintain a sane
view of the world as particular commitments, interests, and
vocations develop in our lives.
The founders of Pinel, Raymond Amir, Carl Dorman, William Kenney and James Stein, are credentialed teachers
with many years experience teaching in the public schools, who have come
to question the organization, educational practices and physical environment
of existing schools.
In its day to day operation Pinel provides an "open environment," the removal of classroom, pancake
playground and inflexible schedule as the definitive features of a child's
school day. Children are not kept in a classroom unless engaged in a task
or activity facilitated by a classroom and its materials. The availability
of six acres of open space, some of it adult planned and much of it not,
with a variety of plant and animal life constantly at hand is an essential
of Pinel life.
The concept of ecology was applies successfully in the life sciences and subsequently transferred
to other scholarly and scientific disciplines. As a result, much has been
said about "wholeness," "functional integration," "organic unity," and
so on. What the ecological approach attempts to do is to put the splintered
pieces of reality back together again. And this is just what needs to be
done in education.
september-june, 9:30-3:00 - a small nongraded school (ages 5-14) - individualized programs in academic
subjects, dramatics, creative writing, music, art (painting, ceramics,
etc.), spanish, golf, archery, fencing, photography, shop crafts, growing
things (plants, animals) - each child will proceed as he is inclined -
field trips (and outside resource persons) are a normal and integral part
of the pinel program - diagnostic testing available as necessary.
june-july, five weeks, mornings - four field trips including one week camping - program is similar to regular
session with emphasis on non-academic activities.
pinel
or call any member of the staff
3655 reliez valley road
martinez, california 94553
-- 1960's brochure
Communicate with the archive via email: pinel@roarshock.com