Amy Jester

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@MrZachG Important factors in a school eval: engagement of students, engagement of teachers, what do the students do, how do they share, are students and teachers connected… tests and grades are not good ways to evaluate schools or people.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@MrZachG We should celebrate neither. Getting good grades in class is often about compliance. Standardized teats are flawed in lots of ways (ie indicate socioeconomic level etc).

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@austinkleon Tag. Totally fun and even funnier when you realize it’s based on a true story.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@Solarchitects Two level sunroom - main floor sunroom is dining room. Lower (basement- walk out) level is for starting seeds

[Alfie Kohn @alfiekohn]

Vonnegut's reflection is a breath of fresh air in an achievement-crazy culture - and particularly welcome in contrast to the grit mindset that says kids must stick with one thing until they master it (even if joylessly) rather than sampling a broad range of experiences.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@perennialfarmer @jrheling @FarmerCarly27 I saw them on Facebook marketplace - periodically they get listed in various places as business end up with them.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@DylanBorchers @aspiringpeasant @cognazor @MichaelTG09 Orpingtons (we have had buff or lavender) are sweet birds generally. They like kids. Seem to be less crazy than some.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@jimmypursey69 @RizomaSchool Wouldn’t a set curriculum based on them be antithetical to the philosophy? That being said I know of a couple h/s groups that are centered on decolonization that draw heavily on these scholars and help guide parents.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@kl_elliott @RizomaSchool I think rather than looking at homeschooling as a menu of approaches - that really deeply examining your beliefs about children, education and parenting is necessary as a prerequisite for aligning oneself in preparation for h/s.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@kl_elliott @RizomaSchool Yes,this.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@normonics @RizomaSchool @Happyholistichs @jrheling I know! I think it is so interesting that many non-traditional methods of education are "taught" using the most traditional approaches!

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@Happyholistichs @RizomaSchool @jrheling @normonics Cool - It may be the CM people I have interacted with have a layer of authority in their homeschooling approach that wasn't coming from CM but from other ideological approaches to parenting or education.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@Happyholistichs @RizomaSchool @jrheling @normonics I do think that the differences are rooted in theology - I don't have any interest in engaging on that - I do really adore many part of CM and use a lot of CM stuff in classes I teach on the farm.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@RizomaSchool @jrheling @normonics @Happyholistichs Lessons and acceptance of culture and tradition come from the involvement of the community - but the child learns these by being part of the life of the family not because it was instilled by authority.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@RizomaSchool @jrheling @normonics @Happyholistichs It is though the authority of the adult that the child accepts the lesson. Montessori places agency for learning in the child - adults prepare the environment, then child through hands on interactions with materials & the environment experiences the concept & abstracts knowledge.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@fangmarks @normonics Reading Montessori herself is lovely and important part of really understanding; however, I recommend starting with Montessori Madness by Trevor Eissler as a parent's perspective on Montessori; The Science Behind the Genius-Angeline Lillard ; Montessori Today by Paula Lillard

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@chrismanfrank @normonics This is what Montessori observed - you work with the developing child rather than against them. "Education" is not the goal - maybe we could say learning is the goal of "school" but really it is about creating an environment to allow humans to develop to their own potential.

[Amy Jester @amyj]

@chrismanfrank @normonics .. propel them to answer the important questions of the day. The adults are crazy to think we have the answers that need to be passed down - We need to create an environment where children can keep a love of learning alive - it is not ‘instilled’ from above