Last week, and every year, Rainbow Mountain students invite their grandparents, or other special elders, to their school for coffee and tea. The grandparents meet each other, nibble on homemade treats, and are entertained by a few classes. This year preschoolers and second/third graders sang in Spanish, fourth graders played recorders, fifth/sixth sang a song and kindergarten recited a poem.
After the social the grandparents visit in their grandchild’s classroom. We really enjoy hosting this event and hope our guest went home happy and full.
It’s here! Aomusic’s new music video featuring Rainbow Mountain students in the video and in the recording. Thanks visiting artist and internationally award-winning musician and producer, Richard Gannaway for working with our students — an experience they will never forget.
The film Race to Nowhere documents the ramifications of America’s achievement culture. Hosted by UNCA Department of Education, the film will be viewed in the Highsmith Student Center at UNCA at 7pm, this Thursday, April 11, with a panel discussion to follow. Click on the live link above to watch a trailer.
There she is: Ina May Gaskin with me at AB Tech, where she spoke last night. Many of us who had our children at home wouldn’t have had the courage to do so without Ina May’s book, Spiritual Midwifery. Spiritual Midwifery introduced me to the concept of the “sacrament of birth.” Life is sacred, therefore, birth is sacred. It doesn’t stop with childbirth. Education is also a sacred practice — a “calling” for those of us who teach. Whether we are dealing with birthing children or educating them, an extremely high level of expertise is required (such as an MA in teaching), but that is only the beginning. Providing a child with a truly rich education goes far beyond training and technique — it requires a respect for the child that we sometimes call “namaste” — a recognition and nurturing of each child’s individual spirit.
A couple of weeks ago I took a tour of Africa in 15 minutes with out having to get my passport renewed. I not only saw all the beautiful sights, I met the people and I learned about sand storms from the Tuareg tribe, medicines from the Baka tribe and the Maasai tribe offered me their traditional meal. I passed. It was raw milk mix with cattle blood. (They actually didn’t have any to share). I even learned how to say hello in Swahili . I had a wonderful visit. My tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and even though at one time I thought I was to be a lion’s dinner, I would visit again and again, so lovely it all was.
Every year the first grade class studies Africa and it’s inhabitants. They end the thematic unit by transforming the classroom into Africa, giving tours to the other classes and when the traveling is done they celebrate with an African feast. Learning through doing is one of the ways Rainbow Mountain students live what they learn.
Last week, and every year, Rainbow Mountain students invite their grandparents, or other special elders, to their school for coffee and tea. The grandparents meet each other, nibble on homemade treats, and are entertained by a few classes. This year preschoolers and second/third graders sang in Spanish, fourth graders played recorders, fifth/sixth sang a song and kindergarten recited a poem.
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