Summerland Schoolhouse - A Hybrid Microschool
At Summerland Schoolhouse, we believe that children learn best when they are in control of their own learning. Our hybrid microschool offers a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to education, where children are encouraged to explore and discover at their own pace. Our small, multi-aged schoolhouse provides a supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Our Story
The idea behind Summerland Schoolhouse began over a decade ago, after a few short years of teaching within the public education system. Before I had even completed my education degree it was blatantly clear that the public education system was not about education, but instead it was all about schooling. "One size fits all" classrooms, lecture format, arbitrary rules, 30:1 student to teacher ratios, limited outdoor time, and the list goes on. Early on, I decided to try things a bit differently, but was either shunned by other teachers for doing so or told that I "shouldn't waste time reinventing the wheel". I fought back and pushed to incorporate daily outdoor time, hold Socratic discussions in the morning, and use more project-based learning, to name a few. However, it was quickly brought to my attention that my alternative education approach was not welcomed in the public sector and would perhaps work best in an independent school. I agreed and decided to leave the school system to pursue other passions.
Fast forward 10 years and the school system is even more broken, eroding at parental rights and reducing parental involvement in the education of their own children. Now a mother, and armed with over two decades of educational experience, I realized that I had to take charge of my vision and create something new in the Okanagan; Summerland Schoolhouse. Based on the old "one room" schoolhouse model, our education philosophy is simple. A hybrid in-person model focused on child-led, hands-on learning in a mixed-aged classroom. We offer two programs; one will be catering to younger children (K-2nd grade) while the other caters to older children (3rd grade to 5th grade), both with two days per week of in-person learning. All of this will be complimented by home learning the other days. Allowing children to take charge of their own education creates happy life-long learners, who also learn practical life skills along the way.
Interested in learning more about our program?
How does the program work?
Families that are interested in signing up for our educational program would either register or become enrolled as a homeschooling family within British Columbia. Our program is meant to be complimentary to the hard work that parents are putting in at home, and we define our role as co-educators, along with parents.
Children from Kindergarten to 2nd grade will have a 2 day per week in-person program on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Children from 3rd grade to 5th grade will have a 3 day per week in-person program Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
In terms of subject matter covered, we will be primarily concentrating on subjects that require more social connection, especially for project-based learning, such as social studies, science and, of course, entrepreneurial experiences. This is mostly due to our limited time together, however, each day will also allow ample time for other activities that can be tailored to each child's needs.
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Summerland Schoolhouse
SummerlandSchoolhouse
Summerland Schoolhouse