At Dalat, our mission is foundational to everything we do. Our philosophy is that education includes more than just academic learning.

At Dalat, our mission is foundational to everything we do. Our philosophy is that education includes more than just academic learning. Our four flagships (scholarship, citizenship, discipleship, and relationship) are important in educating our students. We want our students to become people of integrity, character, and wisdom who will make a positive impact on the world.

We want students to learn to think critically and solve problems in the classroom. We all know how quickly the world and job market are changing, and our students will need these skills to succeed. They also need to know how to learn. This is very different from the days when many of us were in school when knowledge was most important. We have shifted to a time when skills and the ability to learn independently are more important than knowledge.

In sports, we want students to work hard, do their best, and treat one another well. A coach recently told me that they had to speak to a student who stopped mid-game to help an opponent. That is taking the idea of putting others first to the extreme! We are extremely proud of our students when their sportsmanship is commended. All teams want to win, but developing the skills of perseverance, tenacity, and kindness are even more important.

On the playground, we also know that kids are learning a lot. As they have unstructured time and many children together in one space, they learn how to compromise, negotiate conflict, and explore new things. Yesterday, I saw some kids trying to negotiate who would go first in a four-square game. They realized that someone would have to wait in line and not be in the first group. If no one would volunteer to wait, then the game could not begin. This is critical for our students to learn – not just to wait, but to figure out the solution together.

Much of our focus is based on a Christian biblical worldview. This teaches us that all people are created in the image of God, and encourages us to love God and love one another. As I’ve given a few examples about putting others first, those are all based on our biblical worldview. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.”

Thank you for entrusting your kids to us for so many hours each day. We will always do our best to remember our purpose and mission in education.

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