We were exceptionally fortunate to have been able to take over an existing failing preschool just as we were planning to open our own school this year. It allowed us to move into a much larger space and start with three classes instead of just one.
However, as part of the deal to take over the preschool, we also had to agree to put in a number of property and building improvements and repairs to bring the site up to code. This has given us expenses that we had not budgeted for in our first year.
We are now running a capital funding campaign to raise the $6,000 needed to meet this obligation. As of February 1, 2014, we have raised $1,200, but need another $3,800 by the end of March to keep our campus open. Please click on the 'Support Our School' tab at the top to find out more, and make a donation on the right-hand donation panel!
The Escuela Moderna Kerewan Kindergarten (EMKK) is modeled on the Escuela Moderna (Modern School) developed by Spanish educational reformer and activist Francisco Ferrer in the first decade of the 20th century and which is more commonly known today as the "Montessori" method of teaching.
Francisco Ferrer was a crusader against illiteracy, monarchy, militarism, and religion, and was executed by the Spanish government on October 13, 1909 for heresy because of his efforts to reform the Spanish schooling system that was then dominated and operated by the Catholic Church. His reforms changed the focus of schooling from rote learning to creative understanding and critical thinking - ideas which the Catholic Church found threatening to its control over the local populace.
As in the original Escuela Moderna, EMKK's curricula is based on natural sciences and rationalism. The School system has no student competition, no marks, no special prizes for the “best”, and no humiliation or corporal punishment of the students. The EMKK is a school where students are taught how to think for themselves. Students will be encouraged to not simply learn facts by rote, but ask "why".
The education and instruction will be guided by the principle of “Solidarity and Equality”. Teachers take into account the spontaneous desire of students to acquire knowledge and permit them to learn at their own pace. The purpose of these principles is not to make obedient citizens, but to mold human beings capable of forming their own rational convictions on every subject.
The Escuela Moderna Kerewan Kindergarten (EMKK) is modeled on the Escuela Moderna (Modern School) developed by Spanish educational reformer and activist Francisco Ferrer in the first decade of the 20th century and which is more commonly known today as the "Montessori" method of teaching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)