Educating by being and doing
Diane M Nickerson, MS Ed.School Founder and Director,
Castle Island Bilingual Montessori
When my daughter was in grade 11 in high school, she came home one day
and said, “I’m bored at school and want to go to another school.” Little did
she know at that time that her decision was going to have a profound influence
on her growth and development as a human being. It was to be a lesson for me
as well.
After much research on her part, she opted for a far-away school. From NYS in
the East, we traveled to Victoria Island in the West coast of Canada where she was going to spend one year at the Maxwell International School, an accredited academic program for grades 7-12.
I’m sure she learned and experienced many more things during that year than she ever told me, but there are a few things that she did share and that I observed myself, that left an imprint.
- She learned critical thinking, something that became a natural trait in her
and she applies to this day, and I pray she never stops
- She acquired a taste and longing for reading and learning
- Students of all ages and all countries comingled in a daily basis
- All different cultural traditions, beliefs, religions were studied and
celebrated
- Classes were experiential, not just theoretical
- Students and Teachers regularly went out into the surroundings to help
neighbors and the community, planting and attending gardens, and doing
other service chores.
As for me, I drove her to the school with trepidation, which gave way to an open mind upon visiting the school, which in turn and upon her return home a year later, became a full trust in her decisions in life. I may agree or not with her, but I would always trust her decisions. She always had my support, but now I knew she had the inner tools to be herself and learn from her own experiences, and walk her own path --not mine, not anyone else’s-- and continue to grow as a human being. I thank Maxwell and her inquisitive mind for this. (I also credit the way she was brought up at home :)
As for the school, I recently learned that it closed in 2008 only to be opened again under new management from Dwight School in 2009. This is what prompted me to write these recollections and to pay homage to the institution and its teachers, who walked the talk and help form an independent-thinking human being.
Por / By Diane M Nickerson, MS Ed.
Por / By Enrique Rob Lunski