A few weeks ago we had an open house for families who have expressed interest in joining the Indi-ED family. It was business as usual, we don’t put on a show and we actually ask our kids to lead the families through the building and share about their experiences as we proceed with our day just as we would on any other day.
Some of my kids were nervous because it was their first time. After they gave a tour they reflected on what they felt went well, having good eye contact, actively listening, and answering questions; and what they would do differently next time.For example, not saying “um” or stuttering (talk about self aware kids).
When they are done, they join their class and the interested families can ask questions or observe. What my students didn’t know until later in the day when we debriefed, was that each family had something positive to say about them at the end of each tour. I wanted to share that with them and share that we had multiple parents in tears on their way out the door. At first my students didn’t understand why an adult would be brought to tears over an open house.
As a parent, I shared how when your child has lost their spark, is overwhelmed or stressed out, or has had a negative experience of any kind, that it crushes your heart. That when you get to walk into a space like this one and see the possibility of all of these things being resolved in this space where kids love to learn and truly are treated like family, the joy and relief that brings is enough to bring you to tears.
Then the neurons began to fire in their brains and they made the connection and understood exactly why these families were overcome with emotion. Fourteen little eager hands went shooting up into the air as high as they could get them. They were incredibly eager to share their “Why,” why they came to Indi-ED and what a difference it has made for each of them.
One student who literally cried almost every day when she first started at Indi-ED because of an incredible amount of math anxiety brought on by high stakes tests, now LOVES math and literally shrieks with joy when we build our own tetrahedrons or create our own graphs based on data we collected from all of the cohorts as we continue to get to know each other even better.
One of my students who joined us last year did so because she wasn’t being challenged enough and loves being in a cohort of kids who range in age from 7 to 12 years old. She loves being in a space where she can be challenged as much as she is ready for in any subject.
Another student who refused to write a word much less a sentence when he joined us and now couldn’t wait for our Halloween Story Slam so that he can share the story that he wrote.
One young lady who almost didn’t join us this year because she didn’t want to leave a larger school with more people because she is a social butterfly, shared that she has created even stronger bonds with her new friends at Indi-ED and can’t believe how fun each and every school day has been for her and how incredibly grateful she is that they did decide to try Indi-ED this year.
However, the one that really struck me was a student who shared that she was here because of constant bullying. What she said next blew me away. She shared that she was grateful for the bullies because without them she would have never discovered Indi-ED and this new educational environment that she thrives in and doesn’t want to ever leave.
Now it was my turn to shed a few tears.