First of all, before we go any further: Will Smith has a school? Apparently yes. He and his wife, Jada Pinkett (the ones with the potentially open marriage), are opening the New Village Academy in Calabasas, California.
Most of the stories I saw about this topic are about the fact that some believe that New Village will teach kids about Dianetics and other Scientological things.
Smith and Pinkett deny that they are Scientologists themselves, and also say that the school is "secular." Although some teachers at the school are Scientologists, but they also employ instructors from other religious backgrounds. The school uses educational methods espoused by Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard, something called "study technology." There will also be classes in robotics, (which sounds a little advanced for K-6, but who knows), as well as yoga and etiquette.
If you want to know more about the place, the school's web site has some info. "A Message From the Founders" doesn't say who the founders are but it does give a glimpse of their educational philosophy. The Admissions Application has no mention of Thetans, the planet Venus, or Dianetics, for what that's worth.
I'm not 100% clear on how involved Jada and The Actor Formerly Known as The Fresh Prince are in this venture (maybe he'll be the Fresh Principal?). This article says that the couple wanted to open a school "for some 10 years now," which would seem to indicate that this wasn't a snap decision. I'm not so sure I would send my kids to a school that was founded by anyone with no educational background, regardless of whether or not they teach robotics.
So, Scientology aside, my question still stands: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett are opening a school? Really? If they open one near you, would you send your kids there?
image/source: Yahoo! Shine
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