blue mountain is beautiful

as most of you know, blue mountain is still struggling to stay open...lots of complicated details which i won't expound on here, but all hope is not lost, so keep us in your thoughts and prayers and checkbooks, and hearts.

i know it is hard for people to understand the kind of education we've chosen for the girls--i know it is radically different than traditional schools and some of you are confused or frightened by it. i hope that you all have faith in my abilities as a parent to make the right choices for them. and i appreciate all the support we've received from you.

some of the things i love about blue mountain are:

kids are immersed in democracy. it's the true foundation of our country, what we all love about living in America--freedom of choice and the resulting personal responsibility--they LIVE it every school day. they attend meetings to make real decisions about the school and how it is run and what will happen there--through that process they are able to see that what they want IS possible, that their voice is equal to every other voice, that they are not less important just because they are children (a word which some people say with such disdain, unfathomably), that they are not MORE important than every other person and that they are accountable to their community--they can better it or worsen it by their choices and actions, that some things they want may not be what is best for the community as a whole--they can recognize and respect that! it's amazing to me.

they participate in judicial process, known as JC (judicial committee) at blue mountain...where kids are held accountable before their peers for their actions. what better way to learn accountability, fairness, responsibility, and an understanding of the system that turns the cogs of this amazing nation?!

they are able to pursue ANYTHING they want! if they are passionate about a topic, skill, or art (etc.) they are free to immerse themselves in it until they are satisfied. if they find they don't love it as much as they thought, they are not judged for "wasting" time, money, or energy. and they are not left wondering "what if...?" if they do love it as much, or more! than they imagined they would, they are able to explore every facet of it, to practice and perfect it, to go as deep as they like for as long as they like. this is a part of the blue mountain school experience that i am quite jealous of!

at blue mountain, they learn HOW to learn. WHY to learn. how and why to THINK. and through the pursuit of their interests, they learn all the necessary basic skills of life. math, reading, asking, teaching, maps, measuring, compassion for others, problem solving...etc., etc., etc. this paragraph could go on and on and never cover everything they learn.

i just love it so much and am so deeply grateful for the time they have spent there. all my gratitudes go to blue mountain and the staff and community today. gratitude times five and squared.