Forest Learning Collective
Our Guides
Our Guides all have the gifts of nature knowledge and the ability to connect with and inspire young people. They support children’s learning in nature by facilitating emergent, place-based explorations, modeling respect to all creatures, those we encounter, and each other. We mentor peacemaking and gratitude. Our Guides receive continuous peer to peer training in best practices in early childhood, self-directed education, and sociocracy, and each has first aid/CPR training. They are knowledgeable about neurodivergence, and will work with families to adapt the program structure to best support the individual child. There is no such thing as ‘not a good fit for our program’ because every child belongs in nature.
El
El grew up in the Pacific Northwest where they were a scout, a summer camper, and an avid tree climber. They began volunteering in nursery schools in 2010 and made their way to the east coast in 2021, working in a diverse range of child centered programs along the way. El fell in love with outdoor education on their own fifth-grade environmental field trip and is excited to grow the next generation of earth’s stewards through FLC.
Critta Wood
Critta is in her second year as guide to the teens at FLC. She grew up in the Cortland/Ithaca area then Virginia as a tween and Germany as a teen. She came back to Cortland in her early 20s. As a kid, she used to love to make mud potions with her mom while hanging out in old cemeteries. On the weekends, you can find Critta either at a music festival or sitting at home crocheting or reading.
Maryfaith Miller
FLC Co-Founder
Join us in the forest! Our Guides are the heart of our program and help to create a safe, supported space for our learners. We offer paid time off and competitive wages to our staff. If you are interested in working with us to support administrative tasks or as a Guide for one of our learning groups, please email us at forestlearningcollective@gmail.com with the SUBJECT - INTERESTED IN JOINING THE TEAM
Our Community
Being a part of our community means you will be among families of homeschoolers. Parents must follow all homeschooling guidelines pursuant to NYS Education code 100.10.
Parents will need to submit a letter of intent to homeschool, an IHIP, quarterly reports, and a final assessment of your child's progress to your school district. FLC will provide complementary instruction with an emergent curriculum. All work will be shared with parents to help assist the completion of quarterly reports. We also offer regular parent meetings to discuss what we're working on and how you might incorporate some of our FLC projects into your homeschool curriculum, and how we might share in the learning from home.
Sociocracy
Sociocracy is “a peer governance system based on consent”
Rather than using “majority rule” or a hierarchical structure to discuss and decide issues, FLC works to make decisions based on consent. Consent means that if any member of FLC (whether it be a five year-old learner or a member of the Board of Elders) objects to a proposal or idea, the proposal is revised until all can give consent. As a sociocracy, FLC fosters the development and growth of circles, a trusted team of peers, to make decisions. Circles may include but are not limited to:
-
Homeschool Parent Circle
-
Afternoon Circle
-
Kindergarten Circle
-
Club Circles (Fishing Circle, Knitting Circle, Pokemon Circle, etc.)
-
Fundraising Circle
-
Circle of Elders (Board)
Circles set their own meeting times, agendas, priorities and make decisions for their circles. If an issue will affect the whole community, the circle will send 1-2 representatives to the All Community Meeting. All Community Meetings will take place once a season unless otherwise needed. Circles have links, or connectors, between each other to help information flow. Parents are invited to take places in the circles as their time and interests dictate.
a final assessment of your child's progress to your school district. FLC will provide complementary instruction with an emergent curriculum. All work will be shared with parents to help assist the completion of quarterly reports. We also offer regular parent meetings to discuss what we're working on and how you might incorporate some of our FLC projects into your homeschool curriculum.
As members of the FLC community, you are invited into the decision making process. When needed, these items will be decided by a yay or nay vote, with minority opinions given voice and a second vote if desired. If the minority opinion doesn't carry the second time, the measure can be added to the next month's Community Meeting.
