Short Summary

My Linkedin Profile

Who am I, in a nutshell?  I was raised in a small Midwest town outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I was one of 7 kids, one of 49 grandchildren on my Dad’s side, and one of 19 grandchildren on my Mom’s side.  My childhood was filled with days spent outdoors, various opportunities afforded us through camping adventures, and activities within my church, boy scout troop, and the local 4-H chapter.  My parents served as healthy examples of work ethic.  We did chores because it was our job as being a part of a family, not to earn an allowance.  (I can remember being astonished that some of my friends earned an allowance for doing something that was an expectation in our household. Jeeze!)

I’m very thankful for the upbringing I received.  The person I am today is a direct product of the examples and nurturing provided by my immediate family, the Sisters of St. Agnes in my early education, my extended family, and the community at large.

I bring the wealth of my life experience to bear on the students I have taught.  It is amazing to see students' eyes light up when they hear me say, “Let me tell you a story.”  They are always guaranteed an entertaining and meaningful story from my life.  I want others in the community to share their stories through mentoring students at Experience Learning Center.  Everyone has stories through which lessons have been learned.  I want to provide a setting for these stories to be shared.

What a great idea!  A few months ago I began a grand venture, one of self-discovery through pursuing a dream.  My dream has been to start something more than ‘a school.’  The educational service which captures the ideas in my head, as I would come to find out, is more commonly called ‘a learning center.’  I lined up my ducks, soliciting investors, filing for a corporation, getting tax ID, finished my last school year, gave my notice (quit my teaching job), and continued research. 

The first duck died!  Many cities require numerous licenses and inspections in order to open any service that resembled a school.  Dealing with the state’s department of education and its division of corporations was the easy part!  Go figure!  Navigating the entire process with the different city agencies took much longer than expected resulting in my ‘shake of the hand’ investors to fall to the wayside. This was very disheartening since I had come so far and had already given up my teaching position.  I was nearly ready to sign a lease but lacked the capital to make it happen.

The dream still lives and is in demand.  In my four months of research I found such great inspiration in the work of fellow teachers across the U.S. who started learning centers (as opposed to schools).  To mention only a few, there are:  North Star Teens (http://northstarteens.org/)in Hadley, MA; Princeton Learning Cooperative  (http://princetonlearningcooperative.org/), Princeton, NJ; and Open Road Teens (http://openroadteens.org/), Portland, CO.  These centers provide a safe place for students to explore and follow their interests in order to become self-educated.  As far as the state is concerned, these students receive the status of ‘home schoolers’.  If you think about that term, ‘home schooler,’ it rings true for the students who embark on such an adventure.  I’m sure you would agree, independence is born when a person develops a firm sense of self, allowing them ‘to be’ at home in their own skin.  Many traditional settings cannot help in bringing this about due to the sheer quantity of students being ‘served’.  In other words, the industrial type of education system is overloaded, leaving many to fall between the cracks.  There are over 40,000 home school students in the Greater Fort Lauderdale Area.  Experience Learning Center can provide a home for some of these learners.

What We Need & What You Get

The funds raised through this campaign will do the following:

1.  help secure a location for expansion of program offerings

2.  act as seed fund for a line of credit to fund future programming

Experience Learning Center will:

2.  teach:

      --academics through experiential learning

      --curriculum based upon personal interests

      --sustainable living techniques

      --care of our community through service to those in need

      --the benefits of 'giving back' and 'paying it forward'

3.  in the future offer programs such as:

      --hydroponic gardening, sewing, woodworking, cooking, and baking

If we don’t reach our goal:

Whatever funds are raised through this campaign will result in improved services offered to students in search of this type of program and to recruit new students.

Check out the Perks!

The Impact

I've been in the field of education since 1991, teaching in both traditional and alternative settings.  Their structure seemed too mechanical in nature, many times the quality of education was determined by the time allotted in a defined schedule.  Upon further research, study, as well as my direct experience has revealed that students are benefitted by large blocks of uninterrupted time in order for a deeper level of discovery to take place.  This, in turn, can lead them to excel academically and experientially. 

Experience Learning Center is a concept born out of my research, study, and personal experience.  I've found that students are benefited by first hand experience and large blocks of uninterrupted time in order for a deeper level of discovery to take place.  This, in turn, can lead them to excel in building knowledge.  To use an analogy, the education model is akin to a coin, being two sided.  One side of the coin attends to experiential education.  The three key components to experiential education are: DO, REFLECT, and APPLY.  When we enter into an activity we first experience interaction with the materials.  Secondly, every good work requires a period of reflection in which to size up the findings of our work.  What were the deficiencies?  Could it have turned out differently?  Third, we can apply what we have discovered through the process. The other side of the coin also has three components, works of the mind, heart, and hands.  It is important to attend to the needs of the whole person.  Humans are not machines, nor are we only a product of our work, for we are much more.  We will encourage students to discover their entire potential, to ‘go further.’

A student’s interests will determine their curriculum.  If they desire a traditional type of curriculum we have access to the Florida Virtual School and will provide a safe place daily to feel a part of a learning community.  This same virtual portal offers AP courses and students are free to participate in dual enrollment with local colleges.  Students can meet with an adult educator to map out a curriculum based upon their own interests. These personalized education plans can include business internships, community outreach work, apprenticeships, or even being mentored by a retired professional.  If the student desires an ‘unschooled’ approach a customized curriculum built around their interests is in order.  Experience Learning Center is a community of learners, recognizing that everyone is unique.

Other Ways You Can Help

Any help is good!  Actions YOU can take to help me:

·  Donate whatever funds you can afford, no amount is too small.

·  Tell others you know…on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Tumblr, email lists, relatives, friends, or anyone interested in advancing education.

·  Post my website or Tumblr updates on your Facebook.

·  refer your contacts to my Indiegogo campaign pitch