The Mountain School

Back when I first met Derek, I learned about “The Mountain School” from his childhood pictures. Dayle told me about this magical school, and from that moment I hoped we could send our kids there. The pictures I saw were so cute, Derek outside in the dirt and sand….”cooking” and playing. It just looked really neat. Then when I was pregnant with Gavin and on bed rest, I had nothing better to do than check out preschools for Gavin…Of course it seemed so far away, but I had run out of things to do while I was home alone all day for 7 weeks…I even made a little chart about all the schools and what they involved. (I made lots of charts while on bed rest…again nothing better to do…and I can’t believe that I admitted this!)

I knew that I wanted to take Gavin to a PPP if I could. (Parent Participation Preschool) At a PPP I would go with Gavin, and help with the day. I quickly learned that there were different kinds of PPP’s. Some schools you drop them off one day, and then stay the other. You also stay at “your station” and help all the kids with that station (Art, clay, color) They were also pretty strict about the “schedules” while at school, and the kids were “supposed” to participate in each class activity…These just did not seem right to me, not for a just turned 2 year old.  I don’t think he needs a structured school setting yet, he’s just a toddler. He needs to explore, and have free play, I think that’s how he learns best. Then we went to the “Mountain School” open house. I was so relieved to see what I saw. It really was a magical place, and Gavin seemed to fall in love with it...after all, it is an outdoor school, and outside is where Gavin is always happy.

First of all the Mountain School is an observation nursery school…quite different than the others. While I still attend with Gavin each week, I am not there to “work” the school. The philosophy is that “the parents are the students, and the children are there to play.” Seemed a little odd at first, but then I learned more, and fell in love with the philosophy. It makes so much sense to me now. They want the parents to “observe” their children in their own free environment. They want us to see how they learn, and see what works for them. We are there to learn from the teachers, and to learn how our children navigate their surroundings.  They say safety is the #1 priority, so if something is unsafe, we are to step in, but other than that, we are there to observe. 

Don’t get me wrong; the responsibilities of this school are quite a lot. We are to write down our “observations” at class, attend a class meeting every other month (with the parents and teachers in the class), attend a “work day” once a year (Where we go to the schoolhouse and fix/help make it better), and bring a class snack a few times a year. Not to mention that Derek and I were asked to be on the school board (this is where there is a lot of work involved!), so that’s another monthly meeting AND we are making the school newsletter…quite a lot! But that’s OK, because it’s a great place and it feels so worth it to us. It’s like a little community, and everyone seems to love it so much…that all their kids go there. I have already been to a few meetings, and they are actually pretty fun! They are after dinner, in teacher Jane’s home, with food/wine. Very informal, and lots of neat mom’s/dad’s to talk with…There are also LOTS of fun events with the school that we can go to. Turkey Trot fundraiser “race” in the fall, winter auction, fall and spring camping trip, fall and spring picnics, and a many others.

We hope to keep G in the Mountain School all through preschool, and hope that he develops the same amazing memories that Derek did! Derek still remembers some of the things they did, and so do other parents who went there. The really neat part is that Teacher Jane (Assistant Teacher) was Derek’s teacher when he was 2!!! (She is also the school director) She is the sweetest woman I have ever met, and just loves the kids so much. She has been there over 35 years, and says she just can’t leave. She is full of wisdom and patience, and I hope to learn a lot from her…Gavin’s head teacher is teacher Rebecca. She is wonderful and just loves the kids. All three of her kids went there years ago, and she fell in love with it. She also teaches at another school, so she brings a lot of experience.

The school is at three different places throughout the school year. All on the same MountainJ In September it is at Savannah Chanel, which is actually a winery. One of the prettiest wineries I have ever seen in person…it is in the redwood forest behind the winery…with a creek, sand pit, and TONS of woods to explore. In October, class is at Saratoga

I think this is going to be a really great experience for Gavin. He has been talking about it non-stop all day and night, and loves to look at his "Pictures of new school" over and over. :) More to come!