The principals (yes, there are two) at the primary school we visited today had a great approach to leadership. One of their comments was, "One size fits one." It's their approach to Special Education, to gifted education, to caring for every student, and to caring for every staff member. It became obvious as I walked through classrooms that the "one size fits one" philosophy permeates the school.

The furniture in the classrooms was mixed—each room had a variety of tall and short tables in round, rectangular, and unexpected shapes. Children were regularly given the freedom to sit where they pleased for the work they were doing. Most often, they worked on their choice of assignment. I noticed one neat way of tracking work completion in a Year 1 class of five year olds. They each had a chart with their pictures on it and 32 squares with Velcro tabs on them. They also had 32 tabs of activities they could work on, such as numbers, puzzles, investigations, reading, playdough, etc. They were allowed to go in any order they liked, so long as they completed all 32 tasks in 32 periods of choice work. Not surprisingly, many kids started with playdough, but they eventually completed everything.

Another example of the "one size fits one" philosophy can be seen in the art that adorns the walls and public spaces. In addition to there being an abundance of student-created art, it is wonderfully personalized. Instead of having a class set of igloos or birds that all look the same, there is often a class set of watercolors or collages or other art forms that are uniquely individualized. Very often, the art represents the child or their family or community. And the families take many forms here.

As we pressed the principals for more information about Special Education, their response was simple… "every child has special needs."