my letter to the south lane school board

Dear Board Members,

Last night was the yearbook party at Blue Mountain School. Two of my children attend Blue Mountain and I am writing in hopes to inspire you to find a way to keep working with us to form a plan that satisfies everyone’s needs. The party was a bittersweet occasion. It was great to see everyone again, to play and chat, and enjoy good food and company with our community. It was also sad, sadder than the word “sad” allows for. No matter what happens now—whether we find a successful solution that keeps the school open, or we don’t and it closes—it was the definitive END to something beautiful that nourished my kids and my self. The Blue Mountain community will never be the same again. I have faith that we will rebuild our community, that it will be different, but still strong and creative and supportive. But I mourn for what we have lost. Two of the staff members are leaving, and my kids will miss them bitterly. One of the student families is moving to California…their family includes two young girls who played frequently with my two girls. I had always been so grateful that my children had these wonderful friends, in and out of school. I thought they would grow up together, to help ground and inspire each other. I thought as parents we would be able to celebrate their achievements, support their falls. I was so grateful to know that my kids had not only their own family to be a net under them and to cheer for them and appreciate them, but also this other family, who would love and honor them. I was excited to do the same for their beautiful children. That family would not be leaving if the future of the school had not been in such turmoil, so uncertain and stressful.

I want to tell you about my girls. My daughter Vesta is ten and my daughter Hazel is seven. They also have a little brother, Jubal, who we all hope will one day attend Blue Mountain School. Over the last school year, both girls’ reading abilities have skyrocketed. As a parent who loves reading, is a writer, and deeply believes in the idea that if you can read, you can learn ANYTHING, it was very hard for me to watch school years go by in which my daughters never did much with reading. They had the basic skills required to read and if you pointed to a word or sentence, they could read it to you—but there was no interest or drive to read, though they have always loved being read to, so I know they loved stories and books. It helped me survive this non-reading period to look at all the teenagers at Blue Mountain, those who were there from the beginning or very early on, who were not only proficient readers, but who now LOVED to read. I knew those kids hadn’t learned to read “on schedule”, and it reassured me to see them with wonderful, literary books in hand, that they were obviously reading for pleasure. I bit my tongue, which wanted to wag at the girls: “take reading classes, take reading classes!!!” and tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep the faith that they WOULD read. Now they both do. They often read to me, which of course I love…but I also see them toting books into their room to read before lights out. Which I love infinitely more!

Both of my daughters have participated in running businesses at school, especially over the last year. This has been interesting and exciting to watch. Not only does running a small business require precise math skills—for making change, buying and selling goods, keeping track of inventory and so forth (as well as the measuring skills required to bake or prepare the goods they were selling), but subtler skills as well—like figuring out how to price their goods. When they began their ventures, the pricing seemed random, and while I did suggest that it might be a good idea to figure out how much they spend to get the products and price things with that in mind, they learned the concept much more successfully by trial and error. My seven year old thinks almost everything should cost a quarter, so everyone can afford it…but she quickly learned that you don’t make a profit that way! It was very exciting to watch them really grasp the concept and then do the work to figure out prices that were fair for everyone.

Both girls have been certified for the sewing machines at school and often bring home items they have made: purses, pillows, toys and dolls for their baby brother. Vesta even explained to me how to use the buttonholer! She also sewed matching aprons for all the participants of her ice cream business, telling me after each one how she had further perfected her skills, what she had learned to do better and how each one got progressively smoother to make. Having just started on my own path of learning to sew, I have greatly enjoyed hearing about her experiences.

They do so much at school, I couldn’t possibly describe it all, or explain to you all the intricate details of their learning processes. I can tell you it is thrilling to watch and be a part of.

I can understand your reluctance to lend support to a school in which it seems like the kids “don’t do anything”. It’s true that sometimes kids are sleeping on the couch, playing video games, hanging out…it seems like not doing anything, but I don’t believe it is. I think that honoring your body’s need for rest is important—so many people in our culture don’t listen to their bodies and just drudge through life, tired and unhealthy. I feel grateful that my kids have a school where the needs of their bodies are respected—though my kids aren’t teens yet, so they don’t ever nap at school, they’re too busy playing and learning. My kids also don’t spend much time on the computers, but I’ve watched the other kids gaming away—not the way I’d choose to spend my time, so I was surprised to see that they are actually learning a lot while they do it. The video games and the role-playing games actually involve a lot of quick math skills, reading skills, map reading skills, strategy, and cooperation. It’s pretty cool. I won’t be buying my kids an x-box anytime soon, but I’ve learned it’s not an invalid way to spend your time.

I also love that the kids are able to socialize with each other, and I was incredibly surprised and pleased to see how well all the ages get along with each other. Often the older kids teach the younger kids, and frequently include them in their activities. They treat them with respect! There are so many different types of people in that little school, and so many opportunities to learn and grow. One student is autistic—super friendly, but sometimes in your face. It has been so great to have him in our community, opening everyone’s heart and teaching us all patience and understanding. He’s amazing, every time I see him he asks me about Jubal, checking up on his age and weight, always remembering the previous numbers, as well as Jubal’s birthday. He always calculates how many months I’ve told him Jubal is, figures out that is still one year old, then he announces that he was once a one year old, too (to which I reply that I was, as well, many years ago). Then he says that some day soon Jubal will be two. I have grown to really love these interactions with this boy, as I know others have, including my own kids and my husband, who is not generally a very patient person—it’s fun to watch him interact with patience and real interest to whatever their latest topic is.

This school is a real gem. I know it is hard for you to see or understand that. I know it is very, very different from the schools you’re used to working with. I apologize to you that we have so far been unable to quantify the learning in a way that you can understand the depth and breadth of it…it’s really challenging for us, because we are there all the time, we know the kids, we see them grow and learn. It’s hard to reduce all that they are and do into a number or a percentile. I am committed to continuing to try and find a method that works for you and us. I will do anything in my power to keep Blue Mountain open for my kids, for all the kids. It is my sincere hope and goal that we can heal the wounds between us and learn to work together, so that we can all feel satisfied and happy with Blue Mountain School. I am one of the parents who will be very involved in the school in the years to come, and I do not wish to harbor bitterness or anger, I only wish to have a successful school, available to all who choose to attend.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long and winding letter, I appreciate your time and hope you will consider finding a way to work with us to remedy your concerns.

Sincerely,

Megan MacCullen, parent