Community
The community atmosphere of the Ecovillage is one of inclusivity, respect, and fosters immense connection between the people who make up the community. From day 1 I was told that from the moment I stepped onto the Ecovillage premisis I am considered a community member, not a guest of the village. This concept is so incredibly important in any environment, especially within the school and classroom community. I felt so welcomed as another family member of this community, and it made me feel so comfortable in a very foreign and new environment. I have yet to ever feel alienated, or below another individual. Each member of this community is equally teaching and equally learning from one another, the spiral of learning and teaching is continuous whether you have been at the Ecovillage for one day or for one year. This approach to education, by seeing the students and teachers as a unified body of intelligent people who both learn, teach, and relearn from each other, is very similar to the Reggio Emilia approach I experienced in my practicum class and one that I will highly advocate during my teaching career. Experiencing the community bond at the Ecovillage first hand has allowed me to see how a child could potentially feel in a very new, and unknown classroom with new faces and new sights. The community I experienced in both my practicum and the Ecovillage has solidified a desirable environment that I will continuously strive to achieve in my own future classrooms.
Some community concepts learned from the Ecovillage:
– Curiosity brings acceptance, understanding and love.
– Using “I” statements is important when sharing feelings with others vs “you made me feel…”. It brings about a very calm environment for discussing conflicts and removes an attack on the individual, while focusing on the individual’s behaviour. This shares awareness of how actions affects different people
– Once a week council happens. This is a very intimate group gathering of community members where trust and understanding is built.
– Honouring circle for community members who leave the Ecovillage where the individual is celebrated through praise, discussion of good times and fond memories, and wishes for the future.
– CSA boxes – (Community Support Agriculture) is an initiative to promote farmer collaboration and local food production, thus interacting with, and working alongside, the local community and greater public through sharing of skills, and product.