I love our Italian school, ARCA. I posted in December about a great week of class where we each shared about something we had some expertise in. For all of us it was some kind of cultural phenomenon, from Opera, to wine-making, to Thai buddhism practices.
For my presentation, I shared about the Folk School movement, from its origins in the 1830's in Denmark, to the family camp we attend today in Tyler, MN. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to talk about this in Italian. Doing research to be sure I wasn't misrepresenting anything reminded me of the incredible value of the Folk School approach to community and learning; it's the kind of engagement with each other the world needs LOTS more of these days. The best way, I think, to grow a thing is to practice it. It helps, too, to understand how it came to be and the ways it has touched the world.The following is a summary of my research and presentation, translated for you into English. I offer this as a starting place for more community research and remembering:
Every summer, I go with my family to an historic place in our region. It's called Danebod Folk School and there we practice some of our cultural values.
- Instruction should take into account the nature and needs of the people learning
- Students need time to develop emotions and appreciation before memorizing facts and developing skills
- Oral culture is central
- The fullness of the individual is realized in the context of community
- The objective of education is to respond to the challenges and needs of the people
- Education involves the heart (or spirit), mind, and body
- The point of education is not memorizing facts, but awakening to full living
- Schools should be free from control of the state and shouldn't have tests, grades, or certifications