I have lived just outside of Victoria for some time now and had never heard of this amazing school, more commonly referred to as PSII. Thank you so much to founder/principal Jeff Hopkins for allowing our EDCI 336 class to visit and giving us such a thorough outline of the school’s beginnings and philosophies.

Students here are able to follow their interests and passions through inquiry based projects. Teachers serve more as mentors than traditional lecturers and guide them through these inquiries.

The atmosphere was calm and the students all seemed actively engaged in their varied areas of study. The teachers and students I spoke with at PSII all expressed what a breath of fresh air it was after more traditional classroom experiences.

Many of the students here are those who were not happy or thriving with the traditional school model, but it would be misleading to say that this is the case for all students here. Some are just seeking a more personalized experience at school, which PSII certainly delivers. One of the teachers I spoke with told me how she wished she had had this type of school option as a student. “Think how much time is often wasted in a traditional high school being made to study things you are neither interested in nor able to fully engage with. If I had been at a school like this, my path towards where I ultimately wanted to end up career-wise would have been much smoother.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any downside; I’m just looking for the catch,” one of my fellow teacher candidates commented towards the end of Jeff’s presentation. So what is the catch? One student did comment to me that it’s necessary to have a certain amount of focus and self-discipline to attend PSII, as students must delve deep into their inquiries, and manage their time effectively. But focus on a project you are genuinely interested in is certainly easier than a project which is arbitrarily assigned based on subject area. I also think, at the high school level, it is desirable to place a certain amount of trust in the students’ abilities. If they are respected and held accountable, not micromanaged, they are more likely to conduct themselves with the maturity of working professionals.