What Will Smith's New School Is Going To Be Like

by Amelie Gillette June 30, 2008

Will Smith, of Fresh Prince, Hancock, putting his kids in movies, and "Ha Ha I'm not a Scientologist!" fame is opening a new private school in California for some reason.

According to this article, and the school's website, here's what that school is going to be like:

1. It's a normal school, with a totally normal, non-scientology-sounding name, that just happens to be funded by a movie star:

Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have founded the New Village Academy, scheduled to open in September.

2. It's a place where kids of all backgrounds can come together and learn in a way that Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard would have approved of:

The school will use instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard called study technology. And a few teachers belong to the church.

3. A school with the best staff, technology, and only the best totally normal, not-at-all creepy-sounding interrogation & re-education, uh, I mean, mastery testing & gentle reteaching rooms:

* Students are required to demonstrate 100% mastery of a skill before they move on. Testing is done in a separate classroom. If a student has not achieved mastery, he or she is gently re-taught until ready to move on.

And students can leave the separate mastery testing room as soon as they build a model demonstrating what they've learned--just like L. Ron would have wanted!

* Mastery can be tested traditionally with pen and paper, but often we prefer to have children demonstrate their understanding by creating models.

4. But don't worry. That doesn't mean that the school is some kind of front for Scientology. I mean, practically every school that opens these days has to issue a statement to the press about how it's not a front for Scientology indoctrination, right?

But the couple say they are not Scientologists, and the academy's director insists the facility has no religious affiliation.

"We are a secular school, and just like all nonreligious independent schools, faculty and staff do not promote their own religions at school or pass on the beliefs of their particular faith to children," New Village Academy director Jacqueline Olivier told the Los Angeles Times.

5. The New Village Academy is a completely secular school, where the children come first. What comes second? Robots:

First, we make sure that the way we teach is with the most concrete, hands-on experiences possible. For example, if a student is learning how to make a robot, he or she needs to see or touch the materials and computer right in front of him or her rather than just imagining how to make it.

..When a student is required to perform a sequence of steps and he comes to a point where he doesn't understand, the learning curve is too steep. If a teacher is showing a student how to make the robot and the student suddenly is confused, the teacher makes sure to go back to the place the student stopped understanding and re-teach that point.

If your child learns one thing at New Village Academy, it's how to build a robot, which will definitely come in handy post-robot-revolution of 2022!

6. Still, New Village Academy is a partnership between parent and school. As such, the Academy wants to ensure that parents limit their kids' exposure to the medium that made Will Smith a household name.

We stress a partnership with parents that requires parents to ensure that their children come to school on time, in addition to being well-rested and well-fed. Also stressed is that television time be limited.

Seeing Hancock opening weekend is presumably encouraged, however, since Will Smith's box office performance probably affects the school. New Village wants to be able to buy new robot parts for next year!