Creating a Homeschool Program at the Mindful Cafe
Dr. Jenny is creating a homeschool program at the Mindful Cafe in Ramsey, NJ for the 2019-2020 school year. The program runs 9:00 am — 3:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the school year. Classes are small and student-centered. Students in 7th-12th grades who are considering homeschooling can contact the cafe for more information.
Designing Classes at Cafe
Unlike usual courses in a Middle School or High School, homeschool classes don’t have to fit neatly in a usual curriculum. Classes like Archaeological Digs, Graphic Design, or Mythology can fit into a robust educational plan that may or may not match up with usual school classes. Homeschool teachers can invent new classes and curricula to match their interests as well as the students’ interests. Existing lesson plans often don’t consider classes that meet only once weekly. One of the major tasks for a homeschooling teacher is designing a class: title, description, lesson plans, etc.
The classes at the Mindful Cafe are designed to to student-centered, requiring daily class participation for every student in every class. The classes run more like seminars than a usual class. If you passed outside the classroom when a class was in session, you might hear students asking the teacher questions, teachers asking the students questions, students helping other students, and students asking other students questions.
Classes Available at the Mindful Cafe
For more information on this homeschool program, check back on the Mindful Cafe website as this program develops. Dr. Jenny is running local information sessions for new homeschoolers in New York (one of the states with the most paperwork for homeschooling).