Indiegogo Campaign

We are really excited to be launching an Indiegogo campaign for eLemenT. The kids and staff worked on a great new video promo for this project. It is awesome. It is so hard when teens want to be a part, but cannot afford tuition. While our heart would be to charge nothing, the reality of having a great house where kids feel at home, paying for heat and air conditioning, insurance and tutor salaries---we just have to charge tuition. We still have managed to keep it well below the cost of all other types of school.

Please consider a contribution to our scholarship fund. It could change the world!

Heartbreak

I didn't know him--yet I did. Its the kind of thing you don't hear on the news. But when you hear the news, something in your spirit just cries. A friend of a friend of a friend just lost a son to suicide. A highschooler. The time of life that is so full of promise. What caused him to lose hope?

To that I don't have the answer, but I did get some clues. The friend of a friend of a friend says he was bullied.  Not at one school, but two. I have no doubt his parents loved him. When the public school proved to be a place where he was taunted, the family took charge. They enrolled the young man in the "best" college prep private school in town. This school costs more than double what our program asks. Yet was this the best choice for this teenager? Obviously, the answer is no.

The messenger in our group, with her words cloaked in tears, whispered that the teasing and belittling had continued. A public school teacher on hearing the news, audibly gasped when she heard the school to which he had transferred. 'It is even worse there!" she exclaimed. Every head hung low to hide the hurt.

They say he wasn't a nerd and he wasn't gay--as if nerds and homosexuals were the only type of child to be bullied. I don't know what caused the disconnect for this young man. But I know him. The hurt, the trama of facing the sea of people knowing nothing kind awaits you. Among hundreds of potential friends, yet somehow not belonging.

My heart cried for this young man. I know that I know that he would have found relief at eLemenT. Our young mentor staffers, our program directors, are amazing people. Although still in their teens themselves, they are wise. They understand what it means to have the world think you are broken. They have a heart to reach teens. At this point in our launch they are working for free. If they didn't care, they would have moved on. We all look forward to each day, working with the students we have and hoping each time we will meet a potential student that we get to tell them that the worst is over. From here on out, they will be in a place of respect, a place where it is good to be different.

If only that family knew about us. Please tell your friends, co-workers and family members about eLemenT. It could make all the difference in the world.

Is High School the Best Time of Your Life? A Word on Our Vision.

I remember trying so hard in high school. So hard to make it a wonderful time. Afterall, I grew up in the era  of 'Happy Days' (the TV show--not the actual fifties) Society tells us those teenage years are the best years of your life. I did everything I knew to make the best of it...to hide the fact that in many ways,  I was miserable. My version of coping with the pain of unpopularity was to try to be the super achiever. Great grades, leadership in clubs, involvement in competitions. I was seeking validation, but it was empty. What I really needed was accepting relationships to build my self-worth. I never got that in high school. From what I hear, the large school model has not improved. Perhaps it is even worse for today's students. Just look at the bullying epidemic and school shootings. Something is wrong.

I saw an Facebook post from Quick Trip the other day. It asked fans if they missed school days. What might surprise some, but not me, was the overwhelming number who insisted (some quite vehemently) that school was not an experience they remembered fondly, missed or in anyway would want to return to. The numbers I tallied about three hours after the post had 8 fans who liked and missed school, 11 fans who answered something different from the actual question posted, and a whopping 26 fans who made negative comments about their education. Three times more negative reactions than positive memories. So why do we continue to believe that the institutional model of education is good for everyone?

Here at eLemenT, we have always had the vision to change that negative school experience for teens. Knowing that, we have been looking into the possibility of showing the documentary of the film Bully. Just watching the trailer will break your heart. As I  watch with tears streaming down my cheeks, I know we are going to make a difference. We are going to rescue teenagers from the cruelty and offer-- maybe for the first time-- a place that values them for who they are. As we are talking to more and more families, we are seeing the need to build a scholarship fund. It is our heart to never turn away a student who wishes to join our program. At the same time, however, the cost of providing a location, tutoring, computers and curriculum is staggering. We are operating on a shoe string budget, and pouring our personal finances into this project. It is something we believe in so strongly.

If you too have the memories of hurt and frustration from your schooling years, please consider a gift to scholarship a student. If you or your child is a victim of bullying, please talk to us, even if you don't now have the means of paying the tuition. If I had been able to be in a program like ours, I would have jumped on the opportunity in a heart beat. How about you? If you would too, perhaps you can make it possible for a teen who is struggling today.

Quit School? Are You Kidding?

I got an interesting comment during our open house this weekend. One grandfather asked me an intriguing question, “Aren’t you afraid parents are going to get upset with you if you tell their teenagers to leave school?” (He had tuned out what I was explaining about testing kids for their learning styles and motivation, and had zeroed in on a book on our shelf—Grace Llewellyn’s Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education. I must assume he himself is a visual learner.)

My response? “That is exactly what we are here for.” His eyebrows shot up at that one. This man, who happens to have a loving and generous heart, is exactly where so many of us have found ourselves over the years…parent or grandparent to a child who simply does not fit the traditional school system. Having been through the system ourselves, state run schooling—or at least its counterpart in the private realm—has led us to believe that success lies only after meeting the requirements demanded of the institutional model. How could anyone lead a successful life as a drop out?

Drop Out? Who says leaving traditional education is the equivalent of giving up on life? Yet that tends to be the assumption. Like many areas of life, that assumption is wrong. Certainly there are those who drop out of school, only to live with marginal employment and the social concerns that come with poverty. While the reasons for that tragic scenario are complex and the answers even more so, leaving school is not necessarily the death knell of ambition. We at eLemenT have left that industrial model of education behind, only to discover time and time again a blossoming of confidence and excitement for learning that comes when a student is allowed to learn in the way that best fits. With the pace that produces understanding and with subjects that are fueled by his or her natural curiosity, students thrive. We have been amazed at what kids accomplish when they no longer fear being left behind, being teased and labeled, and in essence, fearing failure. Though we hate it, we know that schools create winners and losers. We refuse to accept that loser status forced onto students. At eLemenT, we hold onto the creed that Fairness is not everyone getting the same things, but rather Fairness is everyone getting what they need to be successful. Sometimes, that means leaving the methods of traditional school behind.

Our grandfather guest later admitted that he was himself, a failure at academics in school. Despite that, he went on to be a hugely successful entrepreneur. Once he considered how little benefit his public education had actually been, a smile crept onto his face and his eyes lit up. I am thinking he caught our vision. Sometimes the most vital step to success is to quit school.

Divergent Thinkers

 

The scenario may be familiar to you.  Your child is working on his math homework but he has been stuck on the same problem forever.  What’s worse, the math problem is one that you know he knows how to do but he just can’t seem to come up with the answer.  And so he sits at his desk seemingly thinking about everything but math.    As frustrating as this is to you, I can guarantee your student is equally frustrated. 

The problem isn’t laziness and the problem isn’t lack of discipline.  The problem could very well be the way your learner’s brain is wired. 

 

While some students think convergently, which in our scenario is the ability to take all the small pieces of a math problem and funnel them down into one precise answer, our student mentioned above is probably a divergent thinker.  Instead of putting the small pieces together, he gets caught up in examining all the options of the pieces, and seeing how many small pieces the small pieces contain.  

If we were inside the head of a convergent thinker it might sound something like this:

 

4 X 3 = 12

 

While the same problem in the mind of a divergent thinker might sound something like this:

 

4 X 3 …   is the same as 3 X 4…  and probably the same as 3 X 2 X 2, which reminds me of two by two which reminds me of Noah’s ark which makes me wonder when it rained last or when it will rain next.  I wonder what the weather is doing right now.  

 

This process will continue until the student discovers  a cure for cancer or until he is called out for daydreaming.    Unfortunately, the latter is more likely, making the former more and more difficult.

But the truth is, these divergent thinkers could change the world.  That is if they are not constantly told that their strength is a weakness, and their talent will trip them up.

 

Ironically, after a learner graduates from a traditional school setting, it is likely that the powers that be will have extinguished any divergent thinking flame, simply because it’s more convenient… for the powers that be, that is.  But upon graduation, as the learner is pouring through want ads, looking for the perfect job, they will find that divergent thinkers are increasingly sought after in the real world.    Frustrating to say the least!

So, the question becomes how can we capitalize on divergent thinking skills and still teach math without ending up learning about the weather every time..  Simply change the types of questions you ask.  For instance, instead of asking what 3 X 4 equals, ask how many different ways can we arrive at the number 12.  Really, this works in any subject.  Just  ask open questions where there can be more than one answer. Then watch genius ensue.

 

But don’t be surprised if you take a few rabbit trails on your learning journey.  And don’t discount them.  The rabbit trails may not be what you are teaching at the moment, but they are where the most monumental discoveries can be made.

~~Melanie Walenciak

Why Flipped Classes are Getting So Much Attention

"Flipped" classes are all the rage in educational circles these days. It is a method I have used when teaching coop classes for years. Granted it did take the parents a little time and a lot of coaching to understand why my classes did not involve my lecturing. Instead when class time arrived, we were busy doing group projects, creating art, acting in plays, learning to dance, eating exotic foods, and playing in simulations. Much more fun.

Not that acquiring the knowledge isn't important. It is! But kids tend to do that so differently. Some love to read all about it. Others prefer videos or audio tapes. Some need to move around while they learn, others need complete quiet. Some zip through while others take just a little information at a time. It is quite the challenge to create the perfect learning environment for all kinds of students. A large class and a voiced lecture is just not going to cut it for so many kids. That is why I have always been sold on the idea of giving the student the chance to customize the information intake phase of learning. That, combined with what goes on in class later, is the essence of the flipped class. I am so excited that this model is an integral part of the eLemenT program.

From our web site:

 In the old style school model, class time is spent on content delivery: lecture or reading. We believe that class time is more valuable for experimentation, interaction and evaluation among students. The flipped class offers initial instruction via video, reading or online curriculum, which is completed by the student at his or her own pace, in the learning environment which best suits him or her. Class time is then freed to explore the knowledge learned, thus enabling students to discuss problems or questions with the teacher and creating a much higher retention rate. The eLemenT model is perfect for this innovation, and it allows us to take full advantage of the myriad of educational opportunities available online. While online instruction is available to all, the added structure and accountability make the eLemenT flipped model the best choice for using technology in education.

So what goes on when a flipped class meets? First, we have the chance to explore questions or problems that arise. In the traditional class, those questions end up directed to the parent--often NOT an expert in the field. With those answered, students are free to do the "homework" part in class. Even better than what you might think of as homework--our classes are a time to hold group discussions, do group research, perform experiments,and more. Simply stated, flipped class time is the best reinforcement of the ideas learned, with comprehension proven through interpersonal activities.

Let's give an example for you concrete learners. We are learning about the U.S. Bill of Rights. At home, the students are assigned the choice of a book to read , a video to watch or a research project. They attain the knowledge through any source, at their own pace. The class meets and discusses each point in summary, answering any questions along the way and seeking the opinions of the class. When we are all pretty clear on the ideas, we break into groups to create a fun project. Each group is to create a staged photograph depicting one of the basic rights. The project is totally student led, with no right or wrong projects. Creativity abounds, and learning is fun. Students are allowed to direct their own learning experience rather than take a quiz. Win.

Flipping can work for science, math (think group problem solving), literature, history and more. It is a proven idea that works. Funny how it seems new to some. Definitely not what the teacher colleges have been training for, but something that has made sense to me for years.

~Mrs. M