Always Meaningfull Education

A process model designed to develop the habits of lifelong learning, personal growth, and community contribution.

Capacities:

• Master co-learner vs. teacher
• Creative and Divergent thinker
• Belief in limitless possibilities
• Flexibility, Patience, Compassion, Wisdom, Intuition

Ultimate impact

• Empowered students
• Value for life-long learning
• High self-worth and esteem
• Appreciation of cooperative and collaborative effort
• Eagerness to take risks in creativity and critical thinking

Our Programs

Our mission is to cultivate and share an educational model that evolves along with our understanding of humanity; focuses on how to learn; applies divergent thinking to bring ideas to innovations; fosters the view of learning as a lifelong pursuit; empowers participants to discover their own path and how each of us can contribute to the greater good.

Full Year Routine

this is an example

● 8:00- Self-Care hour

● 9:00-11:30- Process School

● 11:30-12:00 Progress Reporting and Group and Self Evaluation

● 12:00-1:00 Self-Directed Time with Foreign Language Interactions and Conversation

● 1:00-2:00 Targeted Content Skill Development and End of the Day Tasks.

Available for Non-Full year students (monthly/weekly)

● 12:00-3:30 Integrated self-care, process school, and online skill development.
● 12:00-1:00 Socialize with the residents/ locals. Develop your French and/or Spanish, Eat, play, swim, hang out, care for animals, work in the garden, engage with online learning platforms
● 1:00-3:30 Short daily introductions and creative collaboration; abridged self-care lessons; AME
process school model collaborating on week-long projects; discuss reflections, individual
growth, and collaborative expansion; daily/weekly analysis of effort and progress.
● Friday’s will include a learning journey display from 3:30-4:30PM for week long participant’s friends
and family.

Enhancing Programs

AME will offer drama, business, French and Spanish conversation, and art in our first term. We plan to incorporate a variety of classes to enhance our dynamic program which may include Dominican cooking, sewing, chess club, writer's workshop, coding, to name a few.

Art:

Our participants will enjoy special painting classes with renowned artist, Sam Chilvers.

Chance brought Samantha Chilvers to Cabarete, Dominican Republic.

“The waves and artistic freedom inspired her to stay”.

Born to a family of artists in London, Ontario, Canada, Sam has always been driven by a need to push the limits – creatively and physically.

Please check our her website or Facebook page @www.Chilvers.va or https://www.facebook.com/ChilversFineArt/

Drama Club

Alexandra is a trained and experienced actor who loves drama. She will invite AME students and local community to participate in drama club program that will culminate in productions shared with the community. This will be an afterschool program.

Business club

Joseph is a trained and experienced business class teacher and business fair event leader. He will help AME participants develop business plans and models that will coordinate with drama club productions, fund raising events and. community amelioration events aimed at helping the participants understand the basic elements of business operations and economics. This will primarily be an after school activity.

Foreign language conversation

Mery Lois is one of the AME parents, She is a local mom who is an experienced foreign language teacher among many other things. She will grace us with her talents during the Self-directed hour during which time she will engage the students in conversation in French or Spanish. Through modeling of appropriate grammar and syntax, AME students will enjoy meaningful and relevant lessons through dialogue. Mery studied Social Communications at the university. She is a 500h certified yoga instructor, an ayurvedic massage therapist, an active participant of gifting economy systems and Energy Guide/ Coach. Please reach her at +1829-926-8811 for more information or to book her services.

What Learners Will Experience
The Always Meaningful Education model is a long term process that builds a growth mindset for learning and self awareness, an attitude of perseverance and gratitude, and a well being of harmony.

Self - Care

The AME model is optimal when participants develop in all areas. In Self-care time, we’re learning about and practicing the benefits of caring for our mind, body, and spirit.

● Meditation/Prayer/Quiet Reflection
● Yoga/TaiChi/Breathwork
● Gardening
● Journal writing
● Domain Development Planning/Goal Setting

The Process of Learning

INQUIRY-PROCESS-PROJECT

We combine inquiry based learning, which starts a process of learning based on interests and curiosities, with strategically crafted tools that develop executive functions, 21st century skills, and self-awareness, through the learning process; the learning journey culminates in a group developed project that is shared within a greater community.

Social / Free Choice

At AME, students are always developing their executive function skills and the free choice hour is a perfect example. It is a self-directed hour during which students will engage with Mery Lois, our foreign language facilitator, about their day, their meals, their plans for the future and things they have done. They may choose to socialize, eat, read, create arts, work in the garden, play with and care for animals, or anything they can imagine that respects themselves, others, and the environment. They will develop skills in time and space management, as well as their actions. Self-regulation will be encouraged and supported at all times.

Content Skill Development

With the support of trained teachers, participants work on grade level skills, following a traditional scope and sequence for core content subjects: math/ ELA/ Science/ Social Studies. The teachers are experts in curriculum programs and can help offer a variety of options to meet each learner’s preference. They will predominantly work on their devices in programs that will produce data about their progress.

Foreign Language

It is our collective goal to include at least a Spanish speaking staff member in our programs this year. Ideally, we would also add French. As we build the subversive foreign language model we will have French and Spanish dialogue during the self-directed hour.

Reflecting, Evaluating, and Reporting

The AME model is designed to foster intrinsic motivation and innate desire for learning and growth. Groups will work together to determine success criteria and create rubrics to evaluate; the data will be analyzed to help collaboratively set continuing growth targets. A learning mindset is our goal.

Parents will also be invited to join ClassDojo, which is a platform that will record narratives about our day, work in student portfolios, and a point system that the students and facilitators will build together as we decide what skills and behaviors we want to track and reflect on in each learning journey. Families may also opt to participate in bi-annual MAP test which provide lengthy data about grade level content. Finally, the platforms used for online skills development segment will produce data about how students are progressing and students and parents will regularly receive this information.

Parents currently receive a monthly report that summarizes their child's online content skills development and progress. Additionally, we have partnered with Home Life Academy (HLA) which provides an apostille, which is comparable to the certified grades one would receive from a private school in USA. Now, you will have official grades that you can take with you as move onto higher education or other schools.