What does a typical day involve?
Young people at Heartwood get dropped off in the morning between 9 and 9:15. They bring lunches, water bottles, clothes they can move in, spare clothes if they might get wet or want to change during the day, and any weather-related gear they want. They have quick meetings at the beginning and end of each day, where they share their plans and reflections with a small group. They’ll also be involved in making the weekly schedule, conflict resolution circles, student budget discussions, culture meetings, and clean-up of the space. They’ll be encouraged to eat when they’re hungry and rest when they’re tired. Scheduled offerings vary widely, and students may go to all of them or none of them on any given day. Unscheduled activities and informal time also make up valuable parts of each day. Pick-up each day is between 3 and 3:15, except for a few special days each year when we coordinate community events with families ahead of time.
How do they learn if you don't teach them?
We do teach them, but they would learn even if we did not. Learning is natural and happening all the time. Babies learn to crawl, walk, and talk without being explicitly taught these things. They look at who and what exists in the world around them, copy and experiment with what they see, practice and learn the skills they need to grow in independence and connectivity to others. In learning communities that value authenticity and collaboration, it is inevitable that we will teach each other. Sometimes this happens through classes and workshops, sometimes through conversations and modeling, sometimes through play and interaction. But it is always happening.
How do they learn the basics?
Children are naturally curious and capable. In a rich and stimulating environment, we do not have to try to teach them anything: they teach themselves or ask (of each other and facilitators) to be taught. When they need math to play a video game, track sport statistics, bake muffins, budget for a trip, or otherwise navigate the world, they will learn it. When they need to read and write to create stories with their friends, use community tools independently, find out what happens in the next Hilo book, decipher notes from friends, research dinosaurs, or otherwise navigate the world, they will find ways to learn how. Especially in an environment where facilitators model passionate learning and the community supports – rather than shames – students who learn at different paces, kids stay curious and eager to keep learning.
We do not sort knowledge into traditional subject areas, as doing so discourages learners from interdisciplinary thinking and exploring innovative applications they may invent. Learning is not about amassing data; it is about making connections, deepening understanding, solving problems, creating, and sharing. Facilitators support students in exploring the relatedness and convergence of learning domains, both in school and in the world around us. Sorting or prioritizing traditional subjects is rarely useful from this perspective.
Do you prioritize certain subjects?
Children today are swimming in a flood of information. With the prevalence of digital media, they get exposed to more ideas, issues, cultures, facts, problems and opportunities in a month than most people got in their lifetimes just 50 years ago. Some of this content is incredible! And some of it is wrong or scary. Given this staggering flood of overexposure, instead of asking how to expose our kids to more we need to be asking how to help our children learn to filter the important from the unimportant, filter what’s true from what’s fabricated. We need to accompany them as they learn to choose where they give their attention, and to recognize when a program or person is trying to manipulate them. We need to make spaces where they can play, make messes, run outside, share music, inspire each other, game and explore online spaces with friends and adults who care about them. We need to invite each other into our projects and remind each other that mistakes can give us helpful information. Conventional schools can sometimes fit this work between their regular programming, but for us it is the regular programming.
Won't they miss out if they don't try new things?
Students pursuing graduation and a diploma will need to ensure they complete all units of study mandated by the state of Georgia, a community graduation process involving the presentation of a capstone project they design, and any applications and skill-building necessary for their next endeavor.
Informally, students pursuing graduation are encouraged to demonstrate their readiness to be independent young adults in the wider world. Facilitators will be looking for them to take on roles with more responsibility in the school community, for example by acting as mediators, members of working groups, or offering facilitators. They will be encouraged to pursue internships, volunteer opportunities, classes and maybe jobs beyond the school.
Formally, the young people will need to complete three tasks for the school community to agree to graduate them. First, they will create a transcript, optionally supplemented by a reflective portfolio, for use in communicating about their course of study with the wider world. Next, they will design and execute a capstone project that in some manner demonstrates their readiness for their declared next stop. Finally, they will present these artifacts and their plan for their next steps to a graduation panel, who will pass them or offer revisions. Students will work with staff to assemble their graduation panel, ensuring they include at least one community member, one facilitator, and one adult who has experience in their field of interest or could otherwise serve as a mentor.