Author: Moe Zimmerberg

NEWSLETTER December 2023

NEWSLETTER December 2023 Volume 32 Number 3

Winter is here; we are now surrounded by snow-touched mountains. Soon solstice will arrive – marking the transition from darkness to increasing light, and reminding us of the circular nature of the year. This is an opportunity to gift ourselves with a look inside.

Winter break goes from Friday, December 15th to Monday, January 8th.

Snow days will be posted on our school calendar, as well as local Albuquerque television stations. If the Santa Fe Public School district posts a delay or closure, it will always apply to our school as well. Occasionally there will be media mention of a delay or closure on a Friday. Please ignore – it’s just free advertising.

Due to the cold weather, the All School Council has decided to adjust our virus safety practices: We will be closing the doors and windows, and sharing air this winter. This means that all of you are now in our bubble. We ask that you keep all of us safe by employing safe practices in your daily lives. Thank you.

We need firewood! Also, a vacuum cleaner. Any leads or donations are appreciated.

This fall there has been an emphasis on field trips and cooking. Students negotiated group dynamics by sourcing and modifying recipes, creating the sorbet committee, and deciding on a multi-week plan (including mango peanut butter, lemon dragon fruit, and pumpkin-pie sorbets). At Beaver pond we hiked and collected native seeds. We also visited a former student’s art gallery, and in October the whole school made an overnight road trip to Carlsbad Caverns. This was a great bonding experience for the students as they explored the geology and natural history of the regions (with bilingual plaques throughout the park for practicing Spanish).

The 2023 International Democratic Education Conference in Nepal was a resounding success. The Tutorial School, as usual, was very well received. Our presentation about the school was extended to three sessions, and we also lead two impromptu workshops focusing on gender diversity.

The next IDEC will be hosted by our friends in Taiwan from July 20 to July 27, 2024. We plan on going. If anyone is interested in joining this trip, please contact Moe or Iku. This conference is a wonderful way to meet like-minded students and educators from around the world. Everyone who attends has their outlook expanded to encompass the fact that we are part of a global education movement.

Finally, a very special thank you to Ben Kohl for his generous donation in memory of Norma Klein and Douglas Kohl who are no longer with us.

NEWSLETTER October 2022

NEWSLETTER

 

August  2022                                                                                                                                                                                                         Volume31 Number 2

 

We have seen the first snow on the mountains, and the aspens are changing everyday. The children are growing and getting settled in as well.  The school is growing, and it is delightful to watch children engaging in the democratic process by sharing power though our activities and weekly meetings.

 

Our first Open House will be Thursday, October 20th from 2pm to 6:30pm.  It is open to past, current, and future students and their families.  There will be falafel to eat and alumni to meet.  This will be a wonderful way to meet the other parents of our students.  Let’s get together and share a meal. If you would like to contribute, please bring seltzer, salads, or sides

 

Vacation Schedule: The All School Council is considering taking off the week of November 21st for Thanksgiving.   Also, the last 2 weeks of December and the first week of January for winter vacation.  We are still deciding about Halloween, but we will have school on almost all of the one day holidays that the public schools take off.

Halloween:  Possible day off

Thanksgiving Break:  November 21st to November 24th

Winter Break:  December 19th to January 5th

 

In the past four weeks we have gone on three field trips, spending Thursday afternoons hiking around in nature, looking for unique rocks and watching the changing of the aspen leaves. These field trips put us on the same path, as it were, and gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better.

 

The apartment in the back of the school recently had an outdoor faucet installed, and the children have been helping Rose create new garden spaces. Together, we have grown nasturtiums from seed, constructed raised beds, planted an apple tree, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, thyme and much more, plus daffodils and hyacinths for the spring. I hope this is the start of doing many more outside projects.

 

A knitting machine has arrived at the school. Machine knitting is how much of the clothing we wear every day is made, but it is much more complicated than programming a pattern. (Though that is a part of it, there is a manual punchcard reader) Some have already managed to make fabric swatches, but there is still much to learn.

NEWSLETTER August 2022

NEWSLETTER

August  2022      Volume 31    Number  1

Chile Roasting is in the air, the summer is winding down – it is time to start thinking about the 2022 – 2023 school year. This year we start small and expect to grow.  The students we start with will be the seeds of our community.  It is an exciting time.

To prepare for the year we will be at the school cleaning, fixing, and rejuvenating the buildings and grounds from Monday, August 29th to Saturday, September 3rd for “Work Week.” We will be ready to go at 10am each morning. This is a great time to get to know the faculty and fellow parents.  Moe will be cooking his traditional green chile pesole stew and vegan red chile potato stew.  Please join us to make a beautiful environment for our children. 

There are many  outdoor projects that we are excited about. The garden got so much rain this year, that it is exploding with carrots, parsley, arugula, and weeds. Cosmos and sunflowers have completely taken over one corner. We will be starting a new compost pile, repairing terraces, preparing an artichoke patch for the following year, and of course weeding. We are also getting ready for chickens!

We are happy to have Rose join our faculty.  Her bubbly personality and playful demeanor will be a wonderful addition to the school.  Rose is a former parent at our school who was in Santa Fe while completing two masters degrees at St. John’s College.  She spent the last six years applying what she learned from volunteering at The Tutorial School to her work with elders which now, in turn, informs her work with children.

This August, Iku and Moe went to the Summerhill Festival of Childhood which celebrated 100 years of Summerhill School’s continued existence.  The festival was held in Suffolk, England in conjunction with the 2022 International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC).  It was a great reunion of fellow educators from around the world as well as a chance to discuss and pay tribute to the school that was an inspiration for us all.  Moe and Iku gave a well attended talk about The Tutorial School and how working here changed them.

The Next IDEC will be in Nepal October 15th to the 21st, 2023 with trekking afterward.  How amazing would it be to take the whole school?  It is more than a year away, but we just wanted to plant a seed in your brains.

  • August 29 to September 3:  Work Week
  • September 6:  First day of school

Genuine beginnings begin within us even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities.  William Bridges

From The Tutorial School to Columbia University – Jenny’s Journey

A lovely article by one of our first graduates, Jenny Mundy-Castle, a testament to the benefits of learning life skills. Years later we are still empowering and helping students to learn how to manage and steer their lives. These are valuable life lessons. We have also learned over the years that most schools do not require a GED. Our diploma is sufficient for acceptance. Homeschooling is so prevalent that universities and colleges have created alternative entry requirements.

https://medium.com/family-matters-2/jaw-dropping-acceptance-to-an-ivy-league-school-on-a-ged-worth-it-1c65bc2ea360

While you’re there, check out Jenny’s other excellent articles.

School Outside

What does school look like? In the beginning of the global pandemic, we were not sure what school would look like for us. Last spring we switched to an online format. For the fall, we are trying something different. Considering all the information we had about the virus,  we decided to hold school outside. So far it has been working very well! We are wearing masks, socially distancing, and letting the wind blow all our troubles away.

Our style of education is largely relational. Our students are learning the soft skills involved with personal development and community building, so a lot of what we do here is socialize. Even with the limitations of group size and physical distance, we have noticed that we are better able to connect and support each other in person than we are online.

If you were to take a peek at one of our school days, you would see young people playing, relaxing, talking, and experiencing the natural progressions of light and weather throughout the day. This is what learning looks like.

Of course, we can do this because we are small, but also because the students are taking it seriously and acting responsibly. At The Tutorial School we practice being responsible and managing freedom. The results are amazing. Give children power and they learn to be empowered. Give children responsibility and they learn to act responsibly. Give children freedom and they learn to manage their lives with joy and passion.