About Harvest Academy
Picture a school that doesn’t have a “one size fits all” approach to education. The teacher doesn’t lead all students through the same lessons. Instead, the teacher guides each student on an individualized journey. The what, when, where and how of learning is tailored to meet each student’s strengths, skills, needs, and interests. Students from kindergarten through 8th grade have the freedom to pursue their interests and explore academics at their own pace but their learning plans still keep them on track to meet the Georgia Standards of Excellence.
Now, picture this school on a farm where students spend time in nature, on an adventure playground, in a garden, tending to animals, cooking, learning legacy skills, the arts, crafts, music, reading in the lounge, and using modern tools. Students have academic goals in language arts and math based on Diagnostics and work independently on those goals with the support of their teacher.
They also have the opportunity to pursue individual interests, collaborate with peers, develop independence and time management skills, and cultivate personal relationships. The drive to learn is innate within all human beings. Our dedicated and skilled teachers support students as they learn to be in control of their own lives, accountable for their actions, and how to prioritize commitments and achieve goals. Through the course of their education our students not only learn math, history, and science, but also how to manage time, develop responsibility and dependability, allocate resources, work with others, and cultivate community.
Students are with the same teacher for multiple years and build close relationships: Seedlings in Kindergarten, Magpies and Beavers in Lower Elementary, Foxes in Upper Elementary and the Bison in Middle School. School uniforms are worn and scarves distinguish the different “camps” each student belongs to. Students each have daily responsibilities or jobs they must complete. Merit badges are earned for the different skills students master: some are required, but most are selected. The merit badge program plays a major role in the advancement program and are proudly worn by students displaying their rank as either a Novice, Apprentice, Expert, and even Entrepreneur for a given skill.
Each day that we come together, we acknowledge the cycles of intention, creation and reflection that all humans go through in order to create their lives. We do this formally through whole group Community Circles, small group meetings, personal progress tracking and portfolios, and informally through our daily conversations and group activities.
Mornings are spent in Work Periods which are large blocks of time for students to select work and receive lessons. Using their Mastery Paths, students spend time working on academic goals based on their needs. They have a variety of activities to choose from and are given ample time to experience flow while practicing skills. Children learn independently, choose from a selection of learning materials, assess their own progress, reflect on their needs and consult with their teachers.
Afternoons are spent in “Daily Offerings” and students set daily goals and create their Daily Schedule. Offerings are an (always-opt-out-able) offer to do a thing, learn something together, or otherwise connect at a scheduled time. They may involve special demonstrations on new skills, book clubs, tutoring, or guest speakers. They can be run by students, facilitators, or people from our wider community. They may happen just once, or repeat as frequently as there’s interest. For example, students may make a request at that time for a specific facilitator’s support, eg. a lesson on how to make button holes using the sewing machine, an introductory lesson on how to use the CNC machine or help researching potential customers for an entrepreneurial project they are working on. They may request a specific resource that is needed for a project. Student may also request to conduct an offering, eg. book club, drum circle, or an organized game of Dodgeball.
We believe that every individual has a shareable value and that we all benefit when we feel safe and supported in sharing our gifts with our community. Our goal is to create a safe space for our learners to figure out who they are, what brings them joy, and how to best contribute their unique gifts to their community and the world.
