From the Archives: The 2016 Kinder Experience
If you haven’t had the opportunity to sit in “the invisible chair” and observe the natural flow of this energetic, yet peaceful classroom, please schedule a time soon. You will likely see Kinders acting as leaders in the classroom…
Mountain Sun Community School’s Pack of Coyotes Embark on First Backpacking Journey
At Mountain Sun Community School, learning about the history of Transylvania County and its natural resources is not confined to the classroom and textbooks. The Middle School students, also known as the Coyote Class, backpacked through Pisgah National Forest to explore the real-life impacts of early Transylvanians on the local land, economy, and culture…
Back to School Excitements!
You wake up, jump out of bed with more energy than most mornings, eat a hearty breakfast and put on the outfit you have had picked out for weeks. Your backpack is packed with fresh pencils and glossy folders; you are officially ready for your first day back to school…
Man, Nature Makes Me Uncomfortable
Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better.” This quote encompasses my love of outdoor education. Each time I enter the wild places, I learn a lesson I did not anticipate…
A Place at MSCS
This was my first year with Mountain Sun Community School and I was turned loose in a world full of discovery, exploration, creativity, belonging, and inspiration. I can’t describe this place without these words so it is so fitting that we use them to shape our school. My time here has been eye opening to what education can be for our community’s children and me…
6th and 7th Grade Backpacking Trip on The Foothills Trail
I often reflect on how grateful I am to have a job where I get to spend time with kids backpacking in these beautiful mountains that surround us. I love seeing their faces light up when they finally see the wildflower that they have been researching or when they find a cool beetle in the middle of the trail…
Peace Talks in the Owl Class
“YOU GRABBED THAT FROM ME!” I heard my young student say. She was working with another student on a solar system puzzle, and had her eyes on the piece that would complete Saturn. Many preschool conflicts begin this way: a reaction to the perceived transgressions of another…
Monarchs Journey to Cataloochee
The week before Spring Break, the Monarch Class went camping in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Remote and picturesque, Cataloochee has an abundance of biodiverse flora and fauna. This is why the valley was the perfect place for us to explore, as our overarching theme this year has been biodiversity…
The Mountain Sun Family
As an assistant teacher in the Otter classroom, I look at our school through the eyes of a teacher. But I’m also a mother to a spunky, funny, energetic three-year-old. He is an Owl, meaning that he is in the other primary class just a few feet away from my own. And being his mom allows me to also look at our school through the eyes of a mother…
Exercising "Disappointment Muscles"
A great amount of time is invested in designing the layout of a classroom, particularly in a Montessori prepared environment. How close are the Art materials to a sink? What about the Practical Life materials that often include liquid for the children to practice and perfect their pouring skills? Where is the more calm and quiet space that supports the ideas and practices of the Peace Table as well as the Library? Where is the space that can accommodate the whole class for Gathering Time?
The Joys of Literature Circle
I feel so fortunate each day that I can find the deep beauty of the simple routines that the Acorn Class is engaged in. It is a reminder of how even the most basic of our actions has the power to enhance or detract from our daily experiences. It’s a good way to “check and balance,” making sure I am staying true to the Mountain Sun Mission Statement and practicing the core actions…
Care of the Environment
One of my favorite things about teaching is creating a special environment for children. Some key things I take into consideration when preparing the environment include the use of child-sized furniture, soft lighting, live vegetation, minimal visual distractions, and a cozy home-like feel…
A Trip to Brevard
As an assistant teacher at Mountain Sun Community School, I have a very special job. I get to work in a multi-age classroom of three, four, five and six-year-olds—we call ourselves “the Otters.” My co-teacher Annie is spunky, fun, creative, optimistic, and enviously outgoing. Our classroom is our happy place, and the children who give that classroom life and energy help us remember how lucky we are to have a part in shaping their lives…
Exploring Geology with the Acorn Class
Studying science is so much fun with this age group. The Acorns are, developmentally speaking, curious, eager, creative, and less encumbered by assumed expectations of results. These children practically write my lesson plans for me as I see them oozing with excitement at the mention of "rocks" or "land forms" or even the word "geology." While my goals are simple, their learning is complex and fascinating…
Teachers Host Positive Discipline Book Club
Over the past six weeks, Tina and I have facilitated a Book Club based on the the book Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem-Solving Skills by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D. We, along with a group of about eight parents and teachers, read two chapters per week and came together on Wednesday evenings…
Mountain Sun Students Explore the Universe at Asheville Museum of Science
This year, the formation of the universe has been the overarching theme in the Elementary school science classes at Mountain Sun Community School. On March 2nd, the Monarch (Upper Elementary) class went to Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) to tie together their recent themes of geology and the states of matter…
Mountain Sun Community School’s Chili Cook Off Benefits The Sharing House
Each year, Mountain Sun Community School hosts a Chili Cook Off and dance party, but this year on Saturday, February 25th the cook off took a new spin when parent and Mountain Sun Board Chair Dilshad Posnock heard about the Sharing House’s “Power Up” dinners…
Community in the Owl Class
When considering the Owl class, often the word community comes to mind. The children in their growing are not only learning about themselves as individuals but also about themselves as members of a community. They are very aware of one another and their surroundings…
Mountain Sun Students Learn Life Skills with Eight Owls Farmstead
Digging with pick axes and shovels isn't a common curriculum feature, but for the sixth and seventh grade students of Mountain Sun Community School, it is. Every Friday afternoon, Mountain Sun students get this opportunity. For these students, working up a hard earned sweat affords a multitude of lessons…
Mountain Sun Teaches Art Of Peaceful Resolutions
"I feel sad when you told me that I couldn't play with you because I wanted to play with the blocks too," said a Mountain Sun Community School (MSCS) Owl student…