Under Construction!

Our blog/website is under construction until May 15th.

Pictures from the farm!

Co-parenting

At NWE School, we see ourselves as co-parents. Here is a poem by Shakta Kaur Khalsa. 

Clouds of Light

They look so small and frail

but they are so great and magnificent.

They are born of the same womb

that birthed the cosmos and knitted together the galaxies. 

If you could see them as they truly are,

you would be astounded.

You would see not little children,

but dancing clouds of light,

energy in motion,

swimming in an ocean of love.

They are so much more

than what you see

as are you

Life can seem mundane 

But it is not.

Children can seem ordinary,

and troublesome,

and fragile.

But they are not.

You may feel alone,

and separated,

and powerless.

But you are not. 

Words of reflection and bringing in the New Year!

Welcoming in the New Year – I am overwhelmed by all that I have learned in the past 3 months in starting this school. It is one thing to read, research, form theories and another in putting it all together in practice and action.

I wish so much I could have taken you with us on this journey – experiencing children as they learn and grow with freedom and nature as their guide and teacher. Vanessa and I have humbly taken back seats as we bask in the simplicity of teaching children.

No Grades = No Fear

This is my first time experiencing a gradeless teaching environment. I have always seen the harm in grades from promoting and nurturing low self-esteem to creating a stressful competitive environment and a feeling of not being "good enough." Grades add little value to a child or their parents.  The negative backlash of a point system has always been clear and motivating. Now sitting on the other side, I can share the beauty and success of creating a “no grade zone.”

I have seen that when fear is eliminated, children very naturally and enthusiastically challenge themselves. They are motivated to take on their own personal weaknesses and do so with confidence. That confidence is buoyed with support, guidance, and love of a teacher who only sees success.

Another inspiration given to me by our children is their ability to thrive in every way you can imagine in nature. Again we can all agree that children in nature is natural and good. But here I had to jump out of my comfort zone and become an observer. I found the more I stepped back, the more magic I observed. Without structure or expectations children who are given quality extended time in nature with freedom to explore it, climb in it, dig in it, observe it – become explorers, scientists, adventurists, seekers of treasure, finders of fossils,  to name just a few. What they teach me through their observations and experiences, well simply blew my mind.

How exciting it is to be able to share with you these truths:

Freedom and Love promote untold:

Intellectual growth and development

Physical comfort and expression

Spiritual journeys and awareness

All of this is easily seen in the eyes of a child given this new paradigm in education. They sparkle with happiness.

Shelly

Mornings at the school!

Children work at their own pace on different learning objectives.  Music in the background helps with focus and concentration. A beautiful learning environment!

Wisdom has a place in schools

Tell me, and I'll forget. 
Show me, and I may not remember. 
Involve me, and I'll understand. 
- Native American Proverb

Play, curiosity, and learning go hand in hand

Will the next generation have a Steve Jobs?

The forecast doesn't look good. In an era of parental paranoia, lawsuit mania and testing frenzy, we are failing to inspire our children's curiosity, creativity, and imagination. We are denying them opportunities to tinker, discover, and explore -- in short, to play.

Click to read full article:  If We Don't Let Our Children Play, Who Will Be the Next Steve Jobs? 

...We are raising today's children in sterile, risk-averse and highly structured environments. In so doing, we are failing to cultivate artists, pioneers and entrepreneurs, and instead cultivating a generation of children who can follow the rules in organized sports games, sit for hours in front of screens and mark bubbles on standardized tests....