During this period of early adolescence, we create opportunities through a prepared environment that allows students to learn about themselves, their communities, and how their unique self contributes to those communities. It’s about finding yourself, and your place in the world. It’s about calibrating your inner compass.
The 2023-24 school year promises to be full of new experiences and adventures. We have settled into our downtown campus at 101 Park St., our new homebase. From here we will launch our studies of geology, botany, freshwater ecology, elections and government, ancient civilizations, applied technology, and democratic movements. Throughout the year we will have opportunities to connect to our local community as well as travel as far north as the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, and as far south as Pigeon Key. Get ready, because here we go!
-Tree and Kristina
"The adolescent must never be treated as a child, for that is a stage of life that he has surpassed. It is better to treat an adolescent as if he had greater value than he actually shows than as if he had less and let him feel that his merits and self-respect are disregarded.” - Maria Montessori
Kristina Weidenfeller, Junior High Guide
Kristina@traversechildrenshouse.org
Treenen Sturman, Junior High Guide
Treenen@traversechildrenshouse.org
Tori Craig, Junior High Guide
Tori.craig@tchlearners.org
_
Room Parents
Carrie Goodreau
Renee Mittelstaedt
_
Quick Links
Classroom Highlights
September 20, 2024
Welcome!
Every year the intention of September is to orient new members to our community, challenge our returning 8th years with increased responsibility, and then unite the two groups into one. Week one begins with a staggered start with the 8th years arriving first to discuss their vision for classroom roles and responsibilities. We talk about what it means to be a leader, a mentor, and a role model. They prepare an orientation and a “job fair” of sorts focused on care of the environment as well as the leadership roles such as trip planning, photo, yearbook, and conflict resolution to name a few. Seventh year students then choose their “top three” interests, are interviewed, and ultimately offered apprenticeships.
Our first full day together is focused on creating agreements for living and working together over the course of the year. How do we want to feel? What do we need to learn? How will we work through conflict when it arises? These agreements set the foundation of the conflict resolution process, helping discussions turn us toward the promises that our “best selves” aspire to. Thursday and Friday of the first week, we introduce classroom routines, expectations, and general logistics, as well as an overview of the “NoMi Experience.”
The NoMi Experience is the name given to our week-long excursion that takes place the second week of school; this year our Northern Michigan Experience was a visit to the Upper Peninsula. Why do we travel together for a week to start off the school year? Travel provides challenge, challenge provides opportunities to support one another, as well as reveal our “not so supportive” tendencies. What happens when you’re grumpy? Tired? In need of space? How do you handle it? How do you set boundaries? How do you respect each other’s boundaries? Throughout the trip moments arise that require working together to find solutions that align to our classroom agreements. These discussions also inform changes, or refinements necessary to better understand what our classroom agreements mean and what they look and sound like in practice.
NoMi Highlight Reel
We live in a beautiful place. Michigan’s motto is, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you.” Our state is made up of two pleasant peninsulas, and we had the opportunity to hit the highlights in the Upper Peninsula. Hopefully you were able to hear about at least one of the highlights below!
- Fort Michilimackinac, (the better of the two)
- Soo Locks boat tour where we wave to Canada
- Tahquamenon Falls and the river mouth
- Munising, Muldoon's Pasties (eat like a Yooper)
- Pictured Rocks Boat tour; an overview for the end of the year hike
- Chutes and Ladders in Houghton (the craziest play area I’ve ever seen)
- Quincy Mine, Copper mining near Calumet
- 4Suns- Fish and chips!
- Prospector’s Paradise Rock shop; you want it, they got it!
- Cliff’s Shaft Iron mining; the story of iron mining in the U.P.
- Kitch-iti-kipi; DIY rafting over a natural spring
- Singing on the way home, playing at the rest stops, and sharing meals
In summary, history, engineering, geology, economy, water, culture, immigration, natural resources, stories, food, and fun. And, we had lovely weather to boot.
All of these places play a role in our curriculum over the course of the two year cycle. From industry to stewardship, from first peoples to Democratic movements, and everything in between.
As we wrap up the third week and head into the fourth, systems are starting to settle into place. Our first workshop, FreshWater Ecology, is underway. Tuesday and Thursday we spent at the Timbers learning about the diverse water systems on the property, as well as starting a writing piece based on observations.
This year we have a new opportunity to connect to the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. Monday we will be on our way north to meet with Eric Hemenway, a tribe historian. We will be eating traditional foods, hearing about the Odawa connection to water, and learning about resilience through the story of the Holy Childhood Boarding School.
As humans, storytelling is how we share information, memories, and lessons. It is also how we connect to each other. Throughout human history stories have helped us progress, from knowing which berries to eat, to knowing when to plant or harvest. Stories also help us find common ground, and unite our efforts to imagine and create new things, as challenges arise. In our travels and conversations with the many people we meet along the way, we get to hear so many stories from the past and present, as well as stories of hopes and dreams of the future. In the few weeks we’ve had so far this year, we’ve heard stories about generations of mining in families, immigration, preservation, shipping on the Great Lakes, peace, conflict, Indigenous people, and so much more. These stories connect us to the past, bring us into the present, and help us write our future.