The EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAM at SEED academy teaches students lifelong skills, rarely taught in independent secondary schools. When teaching math, students often ask: "When will I ever use this?" While the answer I give- that students in high school are trained to think clearly and analytically- the truth is that I often wonder why more applicable skills are not taught.
Then I think: What are some things that an 18 year old should definitely know how to do? Speak another language. Change a tire. Start a good fire and be able to cook over it. Fix a leaky pipe and do basic home repair. Be alone, happily. Be honest with oneself. Grow food. Help others.
Freshmen Year: Students spend 10 weeks in the White Mountains, exploring watersheds and learning to BE in the woods. By the end, students will spend one week ALONE. With only a tarp, a lighter, access to a creek and some simple food, these students will live quietly by themselves for 7 days, developing a deep connection with nature and a deeper sense of self. They will come away from the program with an ability to be alone, with a love of (or at least an appreciation for) wilderness, and a resounding feeling of independence.
Sophomore Year: Students spend 10 weeks building simple homes in underprivileged communities. With a hammer as their tool, each student will learn about home maintenance and repair. More importantly, this altruistic endeavor will push students to think about what it means to give. Evening workshops will challenge students to consider their own privileges. The end goal is for students to become aware of disparities in opportunity and become committed to social equity.
Junior Year: Students spread their wings and spend seven weeks in a home-stay in either China or a Spanish speaking country. Students will learn to cross cultural bridges, challenge their view of the world, and come away fluent in their language of study. Then, students will finish the trip with three weeks on an organic farm. Learning about food production, students will have the chance to get their hands dirty while continuing to hone their language skills.
Senior Year: Students depart to the East, spending eleven weeks in the north of Thailand. Three weeks will be spent in a Buddhist monastary- living simply, practicing meditation. Three weeks will be spent at a UN refugee camp, helping indigenous groups who have crossed the Burmese border in refuge. Three more weeks will be spent teaching english in underserved schools. In the last two weeks, seniors will spend time processing their trip and their high school experience, as well as planning for their CAPSTONE PROJECT, where they will study, research, and then communicate on a topic
Graduating seniors will have spent 10 weeks in the wilderness, 10 weeks building homes, and 21 weeks out of the country. They will have lived in Buddhist temples and volunteered in UN refugee camps. They will have learned to build a fire and cook over it, and they will have grown their own food.
These graduating seniors are global citizens. They are worldly and self-sufficient. Their perspective is enormous, but not as large as their hearts.
“I’ve been making a list of the things they don’t teach you at school. They don’t teach you how to love somebody. They don’t teach you how to be famous. They don’t teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don’t teach you how to walk away from someone you don’t love any longer. They don’t teach you how to know what’s going on in someone else’s mind. They don’t teach you what to say to someone who’s dying. They don’t teach you anything worth knowing.”
ReplyDelete-Neil Gaiman (Sandman)