Cultural Reporter Blog #3: Lessons Learned

Just a few short months ago, Prairie Hill Learning Center was solely a big wooden sign along Highway 77, as I’ve driven by it countless times throughout my life.  However, through the process of immersion, during what Prairie Hill calls ‘an ordinary school day’, I’ve experienced new perspectives on classroom culture, cultural space and learning styles within primary education. This was a refreshing and motivating experience, as I observed the children self-initiating, self-teaching and self-correcting, while ultimately developing a love of learning.

Weather report. (2011, November 21). Retrieved December 19, 2011, 
photo taken by author (Amundson, Chelsea).

Prairie Hill Learning Center is definitely not your everyday primary school. The classroom is considered both indoor and outdoor in nature. PHLC is home to the only solar-powered schoolhouse in the state. In addition, a wind turbine is located on the east side of Prairie Hill’s farm to generate power. To summarize my first two blogs, the purpose of Prairie Hill is based on the philosophy and teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori. Her teachings encourage nurturing, guiding and facilitating each child’s natural development. These independent learning methods, along with PHLC’s farm-based education, are raising kids to be environmentally and socially responsible citizens of society. The very identity and values that establish Prairie Hill provide a direct platform for the natural development of children as they learn about 'green' initiatives, daily living practices, life-cycle development, math, science, reading, language and more (www.prairiehill.com; www.montessori.edu).

I've recognized, from personal observation, that Montessori education identifies intercultural communication concepts by providing a distinct cultural space and learning environment for the children. 

In my first two blogs, I gave you a clear understanding how PHLC describes it's learning environment and cultural space. As well as, an understanding behind Montessori education, as it is stated in "The International Montessori Index". However, now I will share with you what I saw during my time researching and observing Prairie Hill. I am delighted to conclude that what PHLC states as their cultural space and what I experienced in my time there line up accordingly. While engaging in the cultural space at Prairie Hill, I recognized an open concept-learning atmosphere. There’s no limit or ceiling of learning for PHLC students. Prairie Hill provides kids with an opportunity for independent learning methods in a natural developmental type of way. For example, students work at their own pace and focus on pursuing their interest. This is just one of the many examples of learning that happens in PHLC’s culture space. According to our textbook, cultural space is a physical space infused with cultural meaning and learning opportunities (Martin & Nakayama, 2009). 

As I reflect on my cultural experience at Prairie Hill and the research I've conducted, I conclude this cultural reporter project with the following lessons learned:

First, I recognized a direct link between cultural space and identity. According to Martin and Nakayama (2009), “post modern cultural spaces are places that are defined by cultural practices –languages spoken, identities enacted, and rituals performed” (p. 295). For example, one ritual I noticed during my time at PHLC was the student involvement of the clean-up of his/her own dishes after each meal. Each student routinely washed his/her personal dishes after lunch. I was led to believe that Prairie Hill plays an important role in the individual family and student identity. This assumption came about as I casually chatted with a group of students during lunch. I recognized a sense of community through shared prospectives and lifestyles. To reiterate this concept, we can reflect on our textbook's discussion about cultural space referred to as the way in which we communicate and the development of our identity (Martin & Nakayama, 2009). 


I presume that several PHLC families’ live ‘green’ lifestyles; making a conscious effort to be socially and environmentally responsible. Therefore, mindfully choosing to send their children to PHLC while incurring tuition cost. Which in turn, leads me to believe that the Prairie Hill culture, including its values and teachings, are often carried out in the homes of Prairie Hill families. Claesson's article in the Lincoln Journal Star (2011) proposes that Prairie Hill is the “perfect place to raise environmentally conscious kids” (Claesson, 2011). This article supports my assumption of PHLC families' living environmentally conscious lifestyles.

While mingling with students during lunch, I asked them to tell me about themselves. A few of the students responded with detailed descriptions about their families, where they're from and school activities. According to my observation, I recognized the strong indication that these factors influence the students’ identity, and therefore Prairie Hill (as a cultural space) was a part of their identity. The students’ cultural space at Prairie Hill is infused with cultural meaning, which is in turn reflected at home and in student identities.

Job distribution. (2011, November 21). Retrieved December 19, 2011, 

photo taken by author (Amundson, Chelsea).

Secondly, the cultural space at Prairie Hill allows students to learn and internalize concepts through hands-on teaching elements. PHLC students are equipped with life skills and decision-making skills through actively participating in decisions that are often made by teachers in public school systems such as - distributions of jobs amongst each other, meal planning and preparation, caring for animals, recycling and individual choice of research…just to name a few.

Lunch set-up. (2011, November 21). Retrieved December 19, 2011, 

video taken by author (Amundson, Chelsea).

An article in the Lincoln Journal Star (2010) said it perfectly when discussing the philosophy of food at PHLC, 

“A Prairie Hill lunch looks like a child-sized dinner party, filled with social grace and conversation. Brightly colored (cloth) napkins are stuffed into cups or scrunched into bowls. Creative centerpieces adorn each table” (Duerr, 2010). 

I love how Prairie Hill incorporates this life skill of meal planning and preparation into their cultural and cultural space. Again the article reiterates,“Food is about bringing the kids together, as a community, as a family” (Duerr, 2010). As a final take-away, we can see PHLC’s cultural space improving educational communication by providing a platform for children to develop naturally while learning relational skills and social responsibility.

References:

About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. (n.d.). About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from http://prairiehill.com/

Claesson, M. (2011, July 27). Raising ‘green’ kids is more about lifestyle than teaching. Lincoln Journal Star, http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/family/article_c1d799b7-4068-5ea0-95ae-a43e8da364fe.html.

Duerr, E. (2010, December 1). Food Life: At this school, students prepare what they eat. Lincoln Journal Star, http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_0daf3405-0c9d-5ca1-b493-b1ca8cf24940.html.

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2009). Intercultural communication in contexts (5th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Stephenson, S. (2011, October 24). Dr. Montessori, Ages 0-3+. MONTESSORI, The International Montessori Index. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from http://www.montessori.edu/maria.html.