As educators, we shape human beings who go on to shape society
Why civics matters towards building a more human and humane future world.
Our greatest joy as educators is energizing our students in new and profound ways. Have we connected with them deeply in some way? Have we helped them discover a new way of looking at themselves? Have we ignited a potential lifelong passion? These are the moments we design for in our learning experiences.
One of the primary pillars of our educational philosophy at Lumineer Academy is to empower our children to understand that they can make a positive difference in the world today, not in some far off theoretical future “when they graduate.”
We help our students understand that at five and six years old, they are already community members, neighbors, citizens, and part of many social collectives. Together we learn that we are contributors to a world much larger than ourselves, where our inputs and outputs impact many critical human-constructed and natural systems around us.
We’ve designed our learning experiences to be porous and deeply connected with the external world, so that every day, our children are out and about in the community, learning how to make many micro-decisions about how to be responsible and effective community members and internalizing the impact their work can have on the world around them.
For example, our students partake in recess and outdoor ed in the public parks rather than in private facilities, they build projects throughout the term alongside numerous community activators such as ASRC, STREAT, or Wildlife Victoria, and they develop empathetic relationships with many neighbors and community stakeholders through ongoing programs. Our goal is for our students to understand that school is not a walled garden, nor is it a mere simulation for the real world. We are in the world already, we have roles and responsibilities with those around us, and our learning has authentic purpose and meaning.
To augment our ongoing programs, once a term we pause our usual schedule to reflect on and celebrate our connections and commitment to our community, in a day we call Civics Day.
Our students organize into mixed age groups, and they select from a range of projects with local organizations. By working in mixed age teams, our students learn important social and emotional skills such as collaboration, negotiation, leadership, and cooperation; and importantly, they learn that they are part of many supportive and fluid groups within the school.
What fills us with joy is how much our students love Civics Day — they consistently tell us that it’s one of the most beloved highlights of their school experience. After all, if our goal is to empower children to become highly confident and capable architects of the future world, while we are cultivating their skills to innovate, design, think, and build, we must simultaneously help them understand that we are developing these skills for a clear purpose — to create a more human and humane world.
Civics Day, Term 4, November 16, 2018
“I feel so happy. All of my classmates are helping someone today, it’s wonderful!” — 10 year old student
Here’s a snapshot of the community projects our students contributed to during our most recent Civics Day.
Students worked with Sea Shepherd Australia to clean the shoreline near our school.
Students worked with a local early learning centre to clean and organise their facilities, work in the garden and chicken coop, and care for toddlers.
Our students cultivated relationships and provided assistance to the centre’s nomadic, elderly, and differently-abled community.
Our students organised special care packages to help welcome newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers to Australia.
Our students have a special bond with Mercy Place — we regularly visit to help garden, listen to and share stories, and play music and games.
We worked with Ranger Shaun to care for local public parklands by pulling weeds, clearing paths, and seeding new trees.
We can’t wait for the next Civics Day! If you’re a local organisation who would like to partner with us, we would love to chat with you. Please email us at hello@lumineer.academy.
