“Often the best moments of our lives arise within the pauses.” – The Elephant Journal
Each day, as part of my own spiritual practice, I write a quote on the board in my office. I find these inspiring words here and there, in books, on-line, from past sermons I have preached. This quote, I left displayed for several days. It struck me as what is often most important to remember.
At a busy school like ours, it is easy to get caught up in the chaos of the day. Morning assembly precedes a day of interesting classes and assignments punctuated by mini-courses, study hall or extra test preparation sessions. Teachers are consumed with worry for their struggling students and with keeping the high achievers appropriately challenged while they wrestle with broken copy machines and intermittent internet. They have arrived early sacrificing sleep and family only to discover their prep time consumed by an unexpected challenge. Other staff are holding the multiple responsibilities of educating, community building, organizing, keeping the vision and tending to the everyday business of running a school, while they juggle their million diverse responsibilities.
Then, students arrive in various states of disrepair: hungry, drenched from the rain, tired from the hike from San Luis, needing the nurture of their chosen MFS family. We join in embracing a new day often fraught with chaos and demands. BUT, what we know, what we re-learn each day is that it is true that the best moments of our lives arise within the pauses. And, how amazing it is that we live and work and learn in a place that is willing to stop and live the pauses.
Students console each other, offer compassionate care across every grade and extend their love to the greater community and to the forest and flowers. We take time to eat together (often sharing our food with those who have less), to follow the butterflies, to watch the insects (and scary reptiles) that call school their home, to greet each other with authentic concern, to share our joys and sorrows, to gaze at the guans or mot mots that have graced us with their presence and to play together. From the outside, our days may appear busy and scheduled, consumed with the objective we all hold of “being a great school.” But, I think that it is in the pauses, that we are learning to be our best selves and what it means to be beautiful humans in a world that seems to move too fast to recognize the spaces in between where miracles happen. How fortunate we are to live, teach and learn in this amazing community we call MFS.
by Sue Gabrielson, Head of School
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“A menudo los mejores momentos de nuestras vidas surgen dentro de las pausas.” El Diario del Elefante
Cada día, como parte de mi propia práctica espiritual, escribo una cita en la pizarra en mi oficina. Encuentro estas palabras inspiradoras aquí y allá, en libros, en línea, en sermones que he predicado en el pasado. Esta cita, la dejé expuesta durante varios días. Me impresionó como lo que a menudo es más importante recordar.
En una escuela tan concurrida como la nuestra, es fácil quedar atrapado en el caos del día.
La Asamblea de la mañana precede a un día de clases y asignaciones interesantes acentuada por mini-cursos, sala de estudio o sesiones de preparación de pruebas extras.
Los maestros son consumidos con preocupación por sus estudiantes con necesidades y con mantener a los estudiantes de alto rendimiento debidamente desafiados mientras luchan con máquinas copiadoras descompuestas e Internet interrumpida. Han llegado temprano sacrificando el sueño y la familia sólo para descubrir que su tiempo de preparación ha sido consumido por un desafío inesperado. El resto del personal tiene las múltiples responsabilidades de educación, construcción de la comunidad, organización, mantenimiento de la visión y la administración cotidiana de dirigir una escuela, mientras que hacen malabares con sus millones de responsabilidades.
Luego, los estudiantes llegan en varios estados de deterioro; hambrientos, empapados de la lluvia, cansados de la caminata de San Luis, necesitando el sustento de su familia elegida en MFS. Nos unimos aceptando un nuevo día a menudo lleno de caos y exigencias. PERO, lo que sabemos, lo que reaprendemos cada día es que es cierto que los mejores momentos de nuestras vidas surgen dentro de las pausas. Y, qué asombroso es vivir y trabajar y aprender en un lugar que está dispuesto a detenerse y vivir las pausas.
Los estudiantes se consuelan, ofrecen cuidado compasivo a través de cada grado y extienden su amor a la comunidad mayor y a los bosques y a flores. Nosotros nos tomamos tiempo para comer juntos (a menudo compartir nuestra comida con los que tienen menos), para seguir las mariposas, observar a los insectos (y reptiles que dan miedo) que llaman a la escuela su casa, para saludarnos con auténtica preocupación, para compartir nuestras alegrías y penas, mirar las pavas o pájaros bobos que nos han honrado con su presencia y jugar juntos. Desde el exterior, nuestros días pueden parecer ocupados y consumidos por horarios con el objetivo que todos tenemos de “ser una gran escuela”.
Pero, creo que es en las pausas, que estamos aprendiendo a ser nuestro mejor yo y lo que significa ser bellos seres humanos en un mundo que parece moverse rápido para reconocer los espacios entre los que suceden los milagros. Cuan afortunados somos de vivir, enseñar y aprender en esta increíble comunidad que llamamos MFS.
escrito por Sue Gabrielson, Directora
The Primaria students divided into several groups, each with their own facilitator and preparation people, to play some co-operative games. After younger students had left, the Grade 7-8’s did a debrief with Teacher Amy to identify ways to make the meeting even better next month. Lessons in leadership start early at MFS.
Full-day retreat at the beautiful 
A walk around our own school campus with biologist and Monteverde Friends Meeting member Dev Joslin, who taught us about the precious resource that our school resides on. He pointed out trees that are flowering 100 feet above our heads this year, which will therefore bear fruit next year and bring back the bellbirds. We learned that only 5% of this “pre-mountain humid zone” is still the original virgin forest, including ours. We began a very difficult exploration of how to honor and protect this resource while also honoring the children’s natural desire to play and learn to love the forest through active interaction. A topic we’ll continue to explore throughout the year.
Creativa. She has an undergrad degree in Sociology and a Masters of Education from the University of Minnesota, with a teaching certificate for grade 6-12 Social Studies. Pam will also work with the Quaker Life initiative, and offer counselling for graduating students (“not just college counseling; I want students to know that all life pursuits are honored.”) Pam also serves on the Religious Education committee for the Monteverde Monthly Meeting of Quakers, and enjoys long walks in the woods with her dog Liko, vegetarian cooking, and “exploring silence.”
A veteran teacher with 10 years teaching special education at all grade levels in Denver, Sarah has a BA and MA in Special Education from Vanderbilt University, plus another Masters as an “Intervention Specialist.” To mix things up, she also taught Pilates for 5 years. She enjoys outdoor hiking, camping, travel, cooking, singing, dancing and music, “but I don’t have a strong talent in any of them.” Sarah has moved here with her husband and two children, who will attend the school in 6th and 9th grades.
With a BA from University of Delaware and a Masters of Education from University of Pennsylvania, Chrissy first worked for 4 years as a therapist in the Philadelphia public schools, supporting children with trauma and academic/social/behavioral struggles. She then wanted “to combine my love of education with my love of counseling,”, so she moved to Green Street Friends School as a co-teacher in 2nd grade, with a focus on science and social studies. She explains, “Teachers are counselors, showing children how to best be in the world, to be contributing members of society. I love Quaker education because it builds the whole child. How they are as friends as well as students is really important to me.” Chrissy enjoys yoga, cooking and art, and looks forward to hiking and nature in Monteverde.
Monty joins MFS with 5 years teaching experience in Philadelphia, at Friends Central and a public school working mostly with Latino families. He has a BA from Amherst in English with a focus on poetry, and a Masters of Secondary Education from U.Penn. Of his teaching philosophy, Monty says “I’m a firm believer in an inquiry-based model of education. Classroom space is co-constructed with students, creating a community of writers who support each other.” Monty studied abroad in Chile, and is an avid ultimate frisbee player – “It was when I coached the women’s ulti team at Amherst that I first learned to teach.”
