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Stephani and some of her children following a Stone Soup neighborhood walk. |
"Storytelling is the heart of everything. Education is a story. It's not about isolated events or cardboard cut-out tests, it's about the story." -Stephani Sarnoski
Epiphany Community School - located just outside the city
limits of one of the greatest places in America, Flagstaff, AZ - was the
brainchild of Stephani Sarnoski. "Our educational philosophy is
grounded in an inherent respect for each child as an individual and diverse learner,"
she writes on the school's website. "We are
inspired by the philosophies of Free Schooling, place-based
education, Montessori, Expeditionary Learning, Waldorf,
Homeschooling, Service-Learning, Inclusive
education and the idea of democracy in education."
I first met Stephani about ten years ago when she
showed up at the Grand Canyon International Youth Hostel, where I was working
at the time. She had moved to Flagstaff to finish her degree in Special
Education and took a job tending
bar where I became a regular fixture, little suspecting that one day we
would live thousands of miles apart with families of our own and having a
conversation about storytelling.
What role does storytelling play in the development of a child?
Storytelling is as key as imaginative play, and in the same
developmental framework. Some children truly struggle with it and I think every
early learning center should understand its importance in helping children
develop social and emotional competence into adulthood. Storytelling/Imaginative
Play is learning, period.
Those are some more organized activities to help extend and isolate
skills, but I'm always amazed at how children are just natural story tellers
even without prompts! Just sitting and listening to them play while building,
painting, running or drawing can be enough to inspire a litany of picture
books! As the year goes on, the storytelling in their play becomes more complex
and directed. It has been amazing to watch.
What about picture books, what role do they play in your classroom?
They are integral, and they play many different roles in my
classroom. Sometimes they are the inspiration for an art exploration, or even
some cooking or snack lessons!
We also use them to teach about cultures, celebrations and different religious customs as they come up. Is there anything picture books can't be used for?
Ah, speaking of cultures and customs, there's a definite Native
American presence in Flagstaff. How has that aspect of your community influenced
the school?
There is such an abundance of rich cultural history in
Flagstaff – specifically Navajo and Hopi - that incorporating it into the
school's curriculum through literature, music, food, and activities comes
naturally. We grow a Hopi variety of blue corn at the school that the children
helped to care for, dry, harvest, and eventually grind into flour.
I don't know how we could call ourselves a community school that
promotes a social justice curriculum, and neglect to actively introduce
children to such an important part of their community!
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Exploring the dwellings of the Sinagua tribe. |
Wow, I can hardly imagine being exposed to those sorts of concepts
from such an early age. Do you find that being exposed to these sorts of
concepts is getting your kids to ask deeper questions about themselves and
the universe?
Kids do have a logic and many times that logic is a lot less
scrambled than the "adult" type. I've learned a great deal about
myself and my own belief system by listening to their conversations with each
other. To be honest, they have taken it all in with stride and none of them
seem to have nearly as much trouble taking it in as an adult would. To them
it's often just the way things are- different for everyone.
That's not to say they don't ask questions. Asking questions is integral to
learning and being in a space where it is safe to ask questions is the key to a
healthy classroom environment. The students all have different belief systems
and family traditions that they share with one another
One of the reasons I like our community investigations so much is that we bring
a list of questions for them to ask and they always expound upon them once they
get going. The questions they asked the vet when we when were there were
amazing. ("How do animals get sick? What happens if you can't fix
them?") They were also filled with questions about the caves at the
top of Caves Crater ("Do you think they were comfortable here? Where did
they go? Why aren't they here anymore?")
What was your own early schooling like, and how do you reckon that
evolved into Epiphany?
I started out in public school for K-1st grade. I clearly remember
not being allowed to eat lunch with the other students because I was constantly
being sent to the Principal's office. I had to eat my lunch most days on a
bench outside the office and wasn't allowed to go to recess because I couldn't
sit still or keep my mouth shut during class.
I was transferred to Catholic school by the 2nd grade because my
parents were incredibly religious and felt that the nuns might be able to
instill some discipline in me. In other words, I think they hoped the nuns
would break my spirit! It didn't work and I continued to spend a good amount of
time explaining my impulsive and passionate actions to the principal. I got
nearly straight A's in my classes, but D's in conduct. Catholic High School was
basically a repeat of that situation, only there was no recess to take away
from me anymore!
I was offered little-to-no opportunity for hands-on activity
throughout my schooling. My classes were lectures that resulted in me spacing
out or putting my head down, and then getting into trouble for it. I was
an honor student with a GPA close to 4.0, so I think that caused a good amount
of frustration amongst my teachers. I would memorize for the test the night
before and forget it all within a week. School to me wasn't about
learning, it was about a hoop to jump through, good grades, and approval from
an external source. No one wanted me to think outside of the box- I was
punished whenever I tried, so I stopped offering it. Creativity wasn't valued,
but test scores and being quiet were.
As an educator and director I'm constantly thinking of my schooling
and often trying to unlearn how I learned to teach from my teachers growing up.
Looking back on it made me ask a lot of questions. Why do we want to teach
our youth to sit for most of the day? What does that teach them to do as
adults? Why is innovation and creativity not valued? How can we educate instead
of "school" children? Why don't youth have choice and direction over
their learning? What kind of adults would they become it they learned
to analyze the world and be part of it, instead of passive participants looking
for approval?
Epiphany is a huge step in the other direction from what I grew up -
it's my attempt to answer and resolve those questions. It is my opportunity to
offer something different and to teach children they are valuable to our
communities. Research has proven how developmentally inappropriate it is to
expect young children to sit and listen for long periods of time. My Master's in
Special Education convinced me that learning is individual and all education
should meet the needs of the student, not the teacher.
I think there are benefits to every type of education. I don't
disagree with lecture based or more linear styles of education at the older
grades for some students. I just don't believe in a "one-size fits
all" philosophy at any grade. We all learn differently.
You first began envisioning having your own school when you were ten. To what extent does Epiphany resemble that initial concept?
I didn't have
as many details, but in my young mind Epiphany was a safe haven for kids like
me. It was a place for the "misfit toys," so to speak, a place that
never turned anyone away and appreciated the unique gift of every individual
who entered it's doors. Even as a kid I had the dream of starting a
school where kids had a choice and were a big part of deciding what happened
there every day. I was a huge proponent of democratic education even before I
knew what the word meant!
My original plan had been to buy a block of abandoned homes in Detroit and turn
it into a school that provided cheap or free housing for families who want to
be actively involved through teaching, gardening, caretaking, or repairs. I've
always felt that school and family should be more intertwined and that our busy
work lives little time for families to spend with their children. I'm
just waiting for someone to fund me. ;)
School shouldn't be a building,
but a community that expanded out to children participating in service-learning
projects and being actively involved in their community. Education isn't a place-it's a well-written
story-kind of like a good book.
Storytelling is the heart of everything. Education is a story-it should be unique and individual and a beautiful process, not an end product. It's not about isolated events or cardboard cut-out tests - it's about the story. That's what makes it real. Without the journey, it's meaningless.
Learn more about Epiphany.
Storytelling is the heart of everything. Education is a story-it should be unique and individual and a beautiful process, not an end product. It's not about isolated events or cardboard cut-out tests - it's about the story. That's what makes it real. Without the journey, it's meaningless.
Learn more about Epiphany.
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Flagstaff sleeps. |