One parent’s moving story of her family’s experience finding LightHouse. When I was first asked to tell our story I really struggled with it. We have talked about it over time with many people, but to put it out there in writing was much different. How could I say everything in a short story that would help people realize the true … Read More
Which skills are going to be on the test?
By Catherine Gobron // April 5, 2017
The following is a repost of a piece by Seth Godin. “23 things artificially intelligent computers can do better/faster/cheaper than you can.” This is worth reading and considering, and hopefully the point is clear. Is a standard school curriculum preparing students for the future? At LightHouse we believe that the most important skills for students to develop are: learning how … Read More
Imagine Loving Learning
By Catherine Gobron // March 29, 2017
From a LightHouse Parent: “Imagine a teenager who loves school, thinks there are too many vacation days in an academic year, and believes summers are too long… That’s our daughter, Alice. She became a LightHouse student last year, at age 13. She’s always loved learning and spent her earlier years at home with her dad and younger brother. When she … Read More
Getting on the (right) bus
By Catherine Gobron // January 9, 2017
This post was written by guest blogger–and LightHouse teacher–Amelia Sawyer. Over winter break, as I reconnected with family and friends who I see less regularly, I found myself telling everyone who’d listen how much I love teaching at LightHouse. While we sat around, eating and watching snow fall and eating some more, I’d describe this special place’s warm, open environment, … Read More
Who We Serve, and How
By Catherine Gobron // December 30, 2016
Students choose LightHouse for a variety of reasons. But there’s always a reason. LightHouse is not the default choice- we are not free, public school. We are an alternate choice because something about the traditional option available to our students is not working for them. These reasons vary considerably. Some of our students were simply bored and disengaged. Some were … Read More
Graduation Planning
By Catherine Gobron // December 8, 2016
This year will be the first that we will have students moving on from LightHouse to next steps…careers, colleges, job training programs, armed services…a whole variety of futures unfolding. This group of eight teens is really excited to have a LightHouse “graduation,” which left us with the conundrum of figuring out what a LightHouse graduation actually is! As with everything … Read More
Mindfulness
By Catherine Gobron // November 20, 2016
I’m leading a Mindfulness class this block, though certainly I’m no Zen master. I say leading rather than “teaching,” because in truth I’m taking the course along with the students. I’m more of a curator/facilitator than teacher. Luckily, the world and the internet are full of resources for learning mindful practices. I am getting so much out of this experience, … Read More
Authenticity and Opportunity
By Catherine Gobron // October 18, 2016
One of my very favorite things about teaching at LightHouse is the organic nature of how our classes develop. As a teacher, I enter the classroom with a set of goals in mind, but really the class curriculum is best developed in an emergent fashion. That is to say that I derive the content of the class from the interests and … Read More
What the Teens Had to Say
By Catherine Gobron // June 28, 2016
The last week of the school year was presentation week, and every teen presented to the rest of the group about a highlight from their year. It was inspiring to not only to hear what each person to chose to present about, but also to see the many different formats they chose for their presentations (live demos, PowerPoints, readings, and more). It … Read More
This is our story
By Catherine Gobron // April 29, 2016
As part of the LightHouse Holyoke family, this is our story. Last September Faith and I found ourselves at a stand still. We had no school that she could attend and actually stay in. So we searched around and through a good friend we heard of LightHouse. Excited, we scheduled a meeting with Nelson Roman and Josiah Litant. To our … Read More