Birth of a School
The Big Why
First and foremost, there is one key person who played a major role in diverting my life onto this track (though thinking about it now, I know it was inevitable). So in some ways she was more like an turning point in the course of this river of my life's work that was always bound to end up in the ocean of education(al reform).
A woman by the name of Lisa Sawyer McCartney took a chance on me and hired me to teach at her well respected and very succesful pre-school (now elementary school), Unicorn Village in April 2001. In hindsight it feels like I blinked and went from working in retail (to somewhere in between starting my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education) to having a room full of two-year-olds, an assistant and I was their teacher.
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The truth is that, in many ways, it already feels futile to try and capture the experience I have just had. In telling it to friends I find myself using the same words -- like "incredible, inspiring, amazing" -- over and over again. I struggle to articulate what has been a deeply perception-altering experience. I say “perception-altering” instead of “life-altering” because while I am certain that my life is in fact altered, it is born out of a greatly expanded awareness of my own ideas and beliefs particularly those I had held regarding the people I am hoping to effect change with, and on whose behalf I am acting.
It is as though I entered the conference...
I have to confess this is a teeny bit nerve-wracking as it's my first time blogging for someone else. Usually it's a ramble about stuff that I hope someone will eventually read. This time, I pretty much know it's being read. By you!
So let me tell you a bit about me, because this is really a segue to another post that I would like to add after this.
I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and I am now living as a resident of the archipelagic island nation of The Bahamas. I am a passionate unschooling mother of two and an unwavering advocate for what I believe is every human being's birthright to organic learning/self-directed education. Having experienced the traditional school system as a student, and later as a teacher, I began to...
Posted on Jul 10, 2010 - 10:23 AM by Cian Sawyer
Why do I want to start a school anyway?First and foremost, there is one key person who played a major role in diverting my life onto this track (though thinking about it now, I know it was inevitable). So in some ways she was more like an turning point in the course of this river of my life's work that was always bound to end up in the ocean of education(al reform).
A woman by the name of Lisa Sawyer McCartney took a chance on me and hired me to teach at her well respected and very succesful pre-school (now elementary school), Unicorn Village in April 2001. In hindsight it feels like I blinked and went from working in retail (to somewhere in between starting my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education) to having a room full of two-year-olds, an assistant and I was their teacher.
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AERO Conference DigestPosted on Jul 01, 2010 - 01:11 PM by Cian Sawyer
I've just returned from the 7th Annual AERO Conference in Albany, NY and to say it was phenomenal is a bit of an understatement.The truth is that, in many ways, it already feels futile to try and capture the experience I have just had. In telling it to friends I find myself using the same words -- like "incredible, inspiring, amazing" -- over and over again. I struggle to articulate what has been a deeply perception-altering experience. I say “perception-altering” instead of “life-altering” because while I am certain that my life is in fact altered, it is born out of a greatly expanded awareness of my own ideas and beliefs particularly those I had held regarding the people I am hoping to effect change with, and on whose behalf I am acting.
It is as though I entered the conference...
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Introducing MePosted on Jul 01, 2010 - 12:59 PM by Cian Sawyer
Well hello IDEA readers and bloggers!I have to confess this is a teeny bit nerve-wracking as it's my first time blogging for someone else. Usually it's a ramble about stuff that I hope someone will eventually read. This time, I pretty much know it's being read. By you!
So let me tell you a bit about me, because this is really a segue to another post that I would like to add after this.
I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and I am now living as a resident of the archipelagic island nation of The Bahamas. I am a passionate unschooling mother of two and an unwavering advocate for what I believe is every human being's birthright to organic learning/self-directed education. Having experienced the traditional school system as a student, and later as a teacher, I began to...
Read More... 1 Comments