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教中学习 What one alumna has learned through her time as a Philadelphia school founder and teacher
一切始于一家旧货店的后面。 Behind the second hand clothes sat a need, a vision, and a children’s reading group. Karen Falcon ’77, after moving to Philadelphia post-grad, started reading with young children in the neighborhood because she loved celebrating the beauty of stories with them and seeing their own enthusiasm. This group continues to foster learning and creativity, just under a different name—欢乐的学校。
的 private school officially opened in the fall of 1977 and continues to provide an environment of encouragement where children can grow in the wealth of their intellectual curiosity, creative pursuits, and moral responsibilities as members of a tight-knit community.
“的 principle is the same now as it was then,” said Falcon, “that children love learning, and our job as teachers is to encourage that love of learning, to listen to their ideas, and teach what they are interested in.”
福尔肯说，孩子们是这项任务的真正核心。 It is a different approach to teaching than most public schools, but it is about celebrating who they are, listening to the questions that they ask, and even learning from them along the way.
虽然法尔肯是创始人，但她大部分时间都在教学。 “I never stopped teaching because I couldn’t be a director without teaching. It is what keeps me going,” said Falcon.
Some of the most encouraging aspects Falcon found in her teaching is the children’s ability to work extremely hard, build on their natural gifts, and challenge themselves in the process. Some of her 5th and 6th grade students have most recently started a publishing group, 朱比利之声出版社这家公司出版从插图书到诗歌等各种书籍。 Falcon highlighted the children’s enthusiasm for educating other children on stories that are undertold.
Last year, the students wrote on various people who resisted transportation segregation by refusing to give up their seats. Falcon commented that it was completely their idea. 的 students took charge and worked on researching the material themselves with both their peers and some teachers.
In addition to learning from their books, Falcon finds herself learning from her students' questions. This year, she stepped into the role of teaching language arts, history, and science. She asked them what they were most interested in studying and they said: the universe. In reading all of her students’ papers and listening to their presentations, she is learning more and more from them by listening and building on their ideas.
“Children have great ideas and their voices are so important, and as much as you can listen to their voices. 我认为提出好的问题是良好学习的根源。 Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be the teachers' questions, it can be the students' questions,” said Falcon.
As the school continues to grow under a new director, Falcon has faith they remain faithful to their mission---providing comprehensive, challenging, and engaging education to all, regardless of their income.
“I love my work, maybe even more now than I did when I first started, because I’ve learned so much from the children,” said Falcon. “I am completely invested, and it's been a wonderful journey.”