curriculum o r n e r
The Stillness RACHEL GRIFFIN-SNIPES
Soft music plays as first graders gather on the rug after lunch recess. With the lights off they begin singing “quiet time is a special time, a special time for me. I go to a place that feels just right and fill myself with peace.” Tr. Juli rings a bell and they all settle into a few moments of quietness to help their bodies get still on the inside... and still on the outside. When the bell rings again, everyone mindfully moves off to their own reflective activity. The class gathers in this way every day with the intention of being in community with one another, but also providing space for more introverted, self-directed time. Some children draw, others read or play with Play-Do. For many students, this is the highlight of their day. It’s a time to simply be with yourself for 15 minutes and enjoy the company of your own thoughts. Tr. Rachel and Tr. Juli have seen children transform over the course of the year and become more self-aware through the implementation of this daily practice. For students, school is often a go-go-go, all day long, experience. But for 15 minutes each day, 17 children and 2 teachers find a way to be still and centered. It is through this mindful practice that BFS students form resiliency and independence.
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SEEDLINGS
BFS Science and Sustainability Program (aka Sustainability Workshop)
STEPHANIE THLIVERIS
The Buckingham Friends School Science and Sustainability program is an innovative, year-long civics and science course for eighth graders that represents a culmination of our science program. This class, which is modeled after the Science and Sustainability course developed by the University of California at Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, addresses local and global issues related to sustainability. Its innovative curriculum encourages students to address these issues through the lens of scientific practice, as well as each student’s own knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology and earth science. The class is co-taught by both a social studies and a science instructor. In the classroom, students team up to discuss topics in sustainability such as living on Earth; utilization of Earth’s resources; production of global and local food sources; and trade-offs in topics of energy distribution. They thoughtfully engage with such questions as: “What do we want to sustain?”; “How can we ensure that enough food will be available for the world’s growing population?”; “How do our efforts to obtain and utilize resources affect the environment?”; and “How can we best use our understanding of energy to maintain or improve our quality of life, the quality of life for people around the world, and the quality of life for future generations?” To further both a local and global context, students read and discuss articles in the High Country News, a monthly periodical that addresses current sustainability issues that drive and hinder society and the environment. In a typical school year, students attend a Global Village Program, developed by Heifer International, to gain experiential understanding of global living. “Sustainability Workshop is a quick and fun way to travel the world and explore the different issues that countries deal with and need to problem solve on a day-to-day basis,” says one eighth grader. “This perspective has made me become more aware of and appreciate the privileges that I have in my life.” As our students become more deeply connected, moving forward into a global community, empowered by knowledge and compassion, they learn to address these challenging issues. By engaging their voices on a global platform they achieve personal growth. This course reflects our BFS Quaker Values. It addresses students’ humanity by engaging them as “Stewards of our World.” Its focus on problem-solving resource inequity teaches about “Caring for our Community.” Students draw on “Individual Character and Personal Integrity” as they discuss trade-offs made between people and technologies. And they engage their “Connection to Community” to further their understanding of our human community.
