What Others Say About Woolman

“Thank you for your vision and work with our students! You are giving them a powerful transformative experience, and we are thrilled to be in partnership. Woolman is a precious and important resource in our work with Oakland's teenagers.  Please let the rest of the staff know how much we appreciate the work you're doing and the opportunity you're making available to our kids.”

-Eve Gordon
Principal, MetWest High School

Students Say...

• “If you like to speak with real people about real facts, this is the place for you. If not, tough luck, Amigo. We’re here to change the world!”
• “The reason many kids don’t choose to be involved in issues is they don't feel they can make a difference. But through Woolman, you see how you can make a difference. Woolman gives you the skills to go out in the world and make it happen.”
• “Woolman helped remove the blinders from my life. A new world has opened up for me.”
• “I believe Woolman helps you to be more of who you really are.”
• “Woolman gave me the power to deal with my problems instead of just distracting myself so I didn’t have to see them.”
• “Woolman gave me more of a purpose, and a strong feeling of what I wanted.”
• “I come from a very hard school. [The Woolman Semester] is rigorous on another level, it’s not about busy work the way a lot of high schools are. We read amazing authors and we have discussions, in-depth conversations, instead of just filling out pointless answer sheets. So, we have tons of reading every night and we're constantly busy, but at the same time, it’s so much more rewarding than my public school experience.”

Parents Say...

• "Graduation was amazing and very moving and we all feel blessed and thankful for the loving care and fantastic education and sense of community given to these kids. We can't thank you enough!"
• "The Woolman Semester encourages critical evaluation of controversial topics-not just taking the 'party line', but actually checking the resources and developing an individual approach."
• "Woolman is a place where the individual is honored and becomes a part of a greater community. The learning is rigorous, yet the students receive support for their ideas and contributions and learn that their learning is truly up to themselves. There is a deep compassion for learning there among all the residents and this is expressed with love and caring, each striving to walk the talk. Wonderful mentors, teachers, administrators and community."
• "Our daughter is motivated to complete her high school studies and has taken on a larger work load. She is talking about different choices for college."
• "We are grateful every day for Woolman and what it has meant for our daughter's life. She was already a great person with lots of strength. But clearly she has grown, matured, further developed and supported her worldview. Her self-confidence is now warmer and deeper and can help her to move through the world with conviction and grace.