new paradigm education:
evergreen charter school
by julie savage parker

You know how sometimes we come across something so wonderful, so life-altering, that we declare THIS is what everyone in the world needs, and if they had it, life-as-we know-it would be oh so much better?

Well, this really is it. I swear if everyone had spent their formative years at a place like Evergreen Community Charter School, life-as-we-know-it would be oh so much sweeter. (I wonder if it is too late to get 'ol George Dubya to enroll?)

Okay, perhaps I am prone to exaggeration, but stay with me a bit and see what you think. What I saw in these classrooms made me want to start shopping for my own lunch box.

See there in the picture—right next to the short and long vowels?

PLACE OF PEACE AGREEMENTS
1. You must go if someone asks.
2. Person who "asked" talks. Other person listens.
3. Switch.
4. Plan for next time.
5. Ask each other "Do you feel better"?
6. If both people say "Yes", then handshake or hug.
7. No leaving unless both feel better.
8. See a teacher!
LOVE ONE ANOTHER. WE ARE FAMILY!

Woowie, what those kids are learning! Respect for themselves, establishing boundaries, respect for others, listening, remaining open to other points of view, seeking understanding—both to understand and to be understood, right there at eye level. Mediation, both moderated and with just the two people involved, starting at age ___. All that and vowels too. And this is just one corner of the classroom!

Prominent in Evergreen's promotional materials is John Dewey's statement: Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself. Walk into any classroom at Evergreen and that is exactly what you see—kids busily engaged in life itself, exploring, discovering, active participants in the learning process. Hands-on, focused, intent, appearing confident in their abilities. Observing these classes, I wanted to find my way to a table, roll up my sleeves, and engage in my own journey of discovery.

Take a look at their mission statement:
Working in partnership with parents, elders, and the community, Evergreen offers an academically challenging, developmentally appropriate, experiential, holistic, child-centered education to all young people. We nurture a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime as we challenge our community to discover their individual gifts, to honor their inner worth, to strive for excellence, to pursue respectful and ethical relationships with themselves and others, and to find their own path of service.

And their vision:
Evergreen Community Charter School is a learning community committed to the pursuit of excellence in holistic education of mind, body, and spirit. We prepare students for lifelong learning and service. We value the voice of every member of our community.

THE BEGINNING OF THE DREAM

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau.

Maureen Motley had a dream not long ago, of a community-based school committed to hands-on learning. She gathered educators and parents in the spring of 1998 who shared her vision. Teachers Dori Drachman, Robbie Spiegel, and Lisa Garrett worked with her that summer to lay the foundations for that dream. They adopted a design for the school called Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound.

Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a proven model for comprehensive school reform for elementary, middle and high schools. It emphasizes learning by doing, with a particular focus on character growth, teamwork, reflection and literacy. Teachers connect high quality academic learning to adventure, service and character development through a variety of student experiences including interdisciplinary, project-based learning expeditions. (From elob.org).

And from Evergreen's Community Handbook (the emphasis is mine):

Evergreen is founded upon the principles of the 80-year-old holistic tradition as expounded by John Dewey and later enlarged upon by the Global Alliance for Transforming Education (GATE). The foundation of our philosophy recognizes and values holism and provides educational opportunities for each human dimension. The spheres we work with are the intellectual, emotional, physical, artistic, moral, and in a non-sectarian way, the human spirit. These seven dimensions of human experience are the matrix within which our curriculum develops.

Because of our commitment to holistic education, we feel it is vital to educate children on how all areas of life are interdependent. Thus, environmental education is integral to our curriculum and woven throughout the fabric of our school. Also, as the school and programs develop, we plan to both invite active elders in and to partner with an elder care program in order to nurture inter-generational learning.

We educate children to be self-motivated and self-directed, while also providing daily opportunities to work collaboratively with others...Our students learn from direct experiences rather than just from listening to lectures or reading textbooks.

Learning experiences build upon each other, [allowing] the student to explore knowledge at successively higher levels of mastery and to discover alternate pathways and links to the area being studied. We highly value a process of learning that views "mistakes" as corrective experiences which will happen over and over again as new learning takes place. However, teachers provide clear standards for children to achieve at each developmental level and school-wide, we will provide challenging academic work within a non-competitive environment. Additionally, all teachers are committed to the equal empowerment of girls and boys.

We are dedicated to community service with a focus on environmental education and serving the elderly. Our core belief is a community-based approach commits us to maintaining a small school size. Remaining small allows relationships to develop and deepen, and encourages all voices to be respectfully heard.

Pardon me, I think I need to go buy a new lunch box. Care to join me?