The Seed Grandparents Group is alive and well. We met on Monday for a presentation and, at their request, a potluck. It’s always so gratifying to be among this group. Previously we met and made a list of potential topics for discussion. One request was to talk about what we do at the school to prepare our students for their future lives beyond the Seed. Using materials we’d developed for marketing and our website, I put together a brief presentation I called “An Education for Life As Global Citizens.”
The first part was four areas we focus on, especially in our K-4 classes:
Innovative Learning
• interdisciplinary content studies that make accommodations for individual learners, allowing students to become self-directed experts in areas of interest
• rigorous education with a focus on creativity and innovation
Social Justice
• emphasis on community service, global citizenship, and leadership through projects that highlight kindness, compassion, and leadership training
Planetary Stewardship
• active engagement with the natural environment, promoting scientific inquiry, gardening, sustainability practices, and planetary stewardship
Community
• involvement in a supportive school community that fosters inclusion and celebration of uniqueness
The presentation also included a brief description of our Love and Logic® program and how it influences our students’ future lives. Among the ways the program shapes lives are: making good choices, living with consequences of choices, active listening the first time, witnessing adults responding with empathy, taking responsibility for actions, and living and working responsibly with others.
Additionally, our use of Skillstreaming (http://www.skillstreaming.com) was described to the grandparents. Skillstreaming is a program developed for early childhood through adolescents that
- gives specific guidance on social skills (e.g. sharing)
- offers coaching for how to be an advocate for self or others
- provides anti-bullying support
- demonstrates ways to practice using brave talk
- includes language modeling for successful social interactions
Throughout the presentation, I shared examples from everyday life at the Seed. The grandparents expressed appreciation for the information, the examples, and clarification about the program. Later this week I heard a story I wished I’d had for the grandparents. Our 3rd/4th grade teacher told me that one of her students came in with a folded up piece of paper and showed it to her. It was a reading comprehension practice sheet with a story about children in other countries who don’t have adequate drinking water. He said it interested him and he did some research on his own to see how he could help. When the teacher suggested he share this with his classmates, he told her he was already working on a Power Point presentation. I look forward to his presentation and helping him incorporate his ideas into the Seed’s community service activities. And I look forward to seeing how this young man and his classmates emerge as global citizens.