A World of an Education

Sitting in my hotel room in Budapest, Hungary, my husband on his computer, the kids in the next room, I replay the events of the day in my head.  Today, they learned about history.  Not only the traditional information of dates of events, but they also saw sights that help them to visualize how the culture lived then, and how it is now. 

Thinking about this, I am reminded of their education.  I'm not talking about the typical kind in the classroom.  I am talking about one on the road.  We spent the last two days walking in the snow in the castle district, walking in Hero Square, and seeing buildings, some still with bullet holes from World War II.  We took a break from the cold and popped into the modern shopping mall, and then walked back through the park, just drinking in the architecture with cannons lining the castle walls.  We saw the terror museum dedicated to telling the story of the Nazi occupation sitting among stores like Louis Viutton, and Gucci, displaying how the country has recovered from that era.

The days here have reminded me of our two years on the road learning from guides and museums the sites histories.  Actually being told at the pyramids, the area's history does more than teach them history, it puts a reality to it.  They can not only picture it better, it creates a curiosity around it.  The kids can picture life by the Colosseum in Italy, or in Machu Pichu in Peru.  Then the curiosity spreads to other areas.  Learning became not just interesting, but real and fun.

Returning from our travel years meant finding a school that would continue that philosophy.  We wanted a school that would create an environment where the kids could not only learn, but have fun and enjoy the lesson.  We found a school that not only fit the dream, it exceeded our expectations.  We found a school where the kids can play, enjoy a beautiful setting and not just learn, but be inspired to learn.  The Pathfinder school creates this atmosphere of creativity, responsiblity, and exploration. 

 The kids not only want to come to school, not only don't want to leave at the end of the day, but they are more curious about the world.  After a few years at Pathfinder, I still see the wonder and curiosity in the kids eyes during our week in Budapest.  I see the spirit and fun as they throw snowballs and run in the park.  Back in the hotel they are working on homework from school, I see the same zeal for learning is even stronger than before.  Pathfinder not only kept the curiosity alive, it allowed it to flourish.

- Cathy Colburn, parent

- Eric (Pathfinder alumnus)
- Rebeca (7th grade)
- Alex (5th grade)

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”  ~Clay P. Bedford

Been there, done that. Back for more.

I first came to Pathfinder many years ago when my daughter, Katie, now 16, was in second grade. That was nine years ago! Now she’s a junior at Central High School involved in just about every activity known to man--choir, journalism, debate, tennis and cross country skiing.

I also have a second grader, Will, who enrolled at Pathfinder four years ago as a preschooler. He pretty much grew up at Pathfinder, and Katie's friends LOVED him, swooping him in big hugs and twirling him around. So that makes me the oldest parent of the class. Yes, I've probably have been there longer than the vast majority of parents. The reason: I love it.

I remember when Katie first arrived at Pathfinder and was a little surprised to see the rustic nature of the cabins (she had attended a spanking brand new school the year before). Mrs. Iott, the science teacher, sensed her reluctance and swept her up with enthusiasm. "At THIS school, we do experiments and we don’t worry about making messes. Learning can be messy!" She wasn’t kidding. The kids read books, absolutely, but they also literally dig into projects. A high point of Katie’s elementary science education was shooting off rockets that the kids put together themselves. Another time, they designed cars and raced them in the gym.

      Katie was delighted with Pathfinder. Mrs. Iott was speaking her language, and it just wasn’t science. One of the after-school offerings in middle school was logic, which Katie loved. She credited Mrs. Iott for her later success in debate (she and her debate partner, Mike Payne, recently won the state tournament this year for TCAPS--it's a first for the school in a very, very long time).

      Katie's second grade teacher was Mrs. T (short for Mrs. Hanawalt) and one of the first things they did was “study” a poem by Vivaldi (and not until that year did I realize Vivaldi wrote poetry). Then they created a dance to Vivaldi’s “Winter” musical composition. That same year, they did a pond study. Each day, the kids put on rubber boots and hiked out to a pond, where they observed pond life and wrote about animal behavior. In the second semester, they wrote and published an original story. They also incubated eggs and watched little chicks hatch. In fourth grade, the hands-on learning continued. When they were studying Pilgrims, for example, the kids drew an actual outline of the Mayflower in the dirt to get an idea of how big it was. Pathfinder has a wonderful blend of book learning and hands-on experience.

     Will’s second grade teacher, Kate Gordon (Mrs. Kate), has a different, but equally wonderful style. She has made a home of the second grade room with a fire place (okay, a video fireplace), soothing music, and nice homey touches. She also brings her fuzzy white dog, Chani, who hangs out on the couch. Will is a naturalist, and, like Mrs. T’s class, the second graders spend huge amounts of time outdoors, not only learning about it, but just playing during recess as kids should play­­—making forts out of snow and fallen trees, playing hide and seek in the trees, playing tag. The class works hard, but feels relaxed—a perfect place to learn!

      It's this security that gives Will and the others the confidence to express the ideas percolating in their brains. The other day, for math, the kids were learning about numeration and place value using Base 10 Blocks. Ms. Kate got out the big tub of blocks and passed around the 3 different kinds of blocks—a cube (worth 1), a long (worth 10), and a flat (worth 100). The conversation shifted to other things that are worth 1, 10, and 100, and, of course, money and its base-10 structure came up. At this point, Will’s eyes got huge and he called out, “Ms. Kate, I have an idea!” He asked if they could buy the blocks, based on their value, and use them to build. The rest of the class thought that was a fabulous idea, and Elliot ran over to get the cash register. Students distributed the money evenly among themselves (another math skill!) and Ms. Kate became the store owner/cashier. After the money was distributed, kids naturally joined together in groups and pooled their money. They started building interesting structures, running up to the store every so often to exchange or purchase something. They ended up building and buying right through lunch, which normally starts at 11:30. Fifteen minutes later, the kids reluctantly put their materials down to take a lunch break. On Wednesday, the class asked if they could play Will’s game again—it’s a new class favorite!  Will was thrilled when he came home. Boy, did he feel proud.

That's my boy, Will, holding the money to buy more blocks. 

 In the foreground are friends Owen and Zachary.

-Anne Stanton, parent

Will (2nd grade)

Katie (Pathfinder alumna)

The Marvel of Kindergarten

Kindergarten.  It evokes a smile just saying it.   My own kindergarten memories involve fondly wearing my dad's XL shirt, backwards, to fingerpaint.  Sitting on the cold, flat, tile floor to listen to our music teacher play the piano.  Running and laughing outside.  My teacher, pretty:  the red lipstick, the curly hair, always the clicky black heels and swaying skirts.  Little pints of white milk being brought to our classroom each day.  That's about all the specifics I can muster, but the general idea coincides with a sweeping childhood memory of being free, curious, and happy.

Kindergarten at Pathfinder might look a little different:  there's no official "art shirts" due to the fact that they are constantly subject to paint and clay, or better yet, dirt and mud.  The piano music, while lovely, more often gives way to the strumming of a guitar out in the woods.  The teacher generally opts for smart, comfortable knock-abouts instead of the clicky black heels.  And I've never seen the red lipstick.  

The kindergarten experience at Pathfinder is a marvel.  There's really no better way that I can think of to say it.  I have had two children complete kindergarten in a different setting, and the experience was a good one.  I'll say it again:  the experience was a good one.   But currently in my second time around, I can honestly say Pathfinder kindergarten is really a marvel.  I take a risk in saying so, since the only other time I hear the word "marvel" used is to describe superheroes or wonders of the world, but I stand by my claim.   Let me give you just one example of an emergent (initiated by child interest) learning journey the kindergarteners experienced this year. 

With the campus situated on the shores of Cedar Lake, the kids wanted to go fishing.  They sought out hefty, fallen branches in the woods.  A line of hemp string and a simple hook was tied on.  The kids brainstormed what might be used for bait.  They ended up with 51 healthy worms, fresh out of the Pathfinder compost pile.  (Remember what I said earlier about the dirt and mud - this is good stuff.)  I think they caught four blue gills that day on those homemade fishing poles.  In the coming days, the kids continued to use their lucky poles, catching and releasing several more fish.  They experimented with different types of bait and even invented a balloon bobber system.  They eventually kept a bucketful of bluegill, and housed them comfortably in a tank in their classroom.  They researched the habitat needs of the fish, and now a few months later, all seven fish are alive and well. 

But that wasn't all.  The kindergarteners visited the local fish ladder and ended up bringing a dead salmon on ice back to school to study.  Ever art-inspired, they each made Japanese fish prints, known as gyotaku, first painting the fish and then placing it on fabric.  Using original ideas as well as traditional means, they measured the length of these prints, and sawed old rulers to size to form a wooden frame.  They dissected the fish, and referencing books and drawings, identified major organs on the fish.  They researched the life cycle of different fish, labeling and sequencing the diagrams.  They sculpted unique clay fish, using recycled hardware to show anatomy and, of course, add artistic interest.  They classified, sorted, and graphed lures.  They told imaginary stories about fish and crafted multi-media individual fish journals that would begrudge even the most serious weekend scrapbooker. 

This is some serious fun.  And some serious learning.  And there's more where that came from, too.  There is something big going on at Pathfinder, and no less in kindergarten, that feels so real and powerful it's a bit difficult to articulate.  I think it's the essence of wonder, that epitome of the childhood experience.  Our children are free to be curious, to look deeper, to play, explore, and discover.  There's just no better way to learn.  And they nail it here.

-Tricia Moore, parent

Ariana (8th grade)
Sierra (7th grade)
Mariah (2nd grade)
Glenn (kindergarten)
Vienna (pre-k)