When we founded Patchwork, we were intentional about our desire to create real and meaningful community and connections for the people who choose our school. It seems obvious that schools should be places that bring people together because this is where we see each other each day, where we hear about each other’s lives and where we care for each other. We have watched Patchwork grow into a hub where people gather to talk about important matters, feel supported in their growth as parents and individuals, ask hard questions, and get to be heard.
We want to break down the walls between learning and living, so we work to build real community while advocating for children’s rights to be seen and heard. For instance, we have done various projects with local organizations, such as our raised garden beds built with the help of volunteers and Transition Louisville, our Halloween Parade for the elderly residents at local senior homes, and our collaboration with Louisville Middle School on reading projects. See below for updates on our most recent community projects!
POCKET: Patchwork Outreach Connecting Kids with Elders & Teens
It is important for children to have relationships with all kinds of people. We are currently finding ways to connect teens in our community with part-time jobs working with and learning about young children. In addition, we offer volunteer opportunities for elders to stay connected with the joy of spending time with young children. These connections across ages are valuable to everyone involved! Please feel free to contact us if you are interested!
Patchwork GO
Patchwork GO is another Outreach program connecting us with schools near and far – see below for more details and to sign up!
What is school?
School is not preparation for life, but is life itself.
—John Dewey
A place where every one of its coparticipants can discover and explore the full range or their own unique forms of specialness.
—Chris Mercogliano, The Albany Free School
A bond of interdependence that can give each subject the meaning of his or her presence and of the presence of others.
—Filippini, Reggio Emilia
my good idea
Elizabeth Baker, 2008
i have a good idea.
let’s play school.
but instead of you being the teacher and me being the student
let’s just have a conversation
and instead of desks
let’s have a round table, and a tree fort
and lots of pillows lying around on the floor
and instead of curriculum
let’s have bugs and plants and books and microscopes
with lots of jars holding strange little objects
like dragonfly wings and letters to mice and miniature trumpets
and instead of tests or grades
let’s have internal motivation
that lets us do things in life because we’re more interested in the process of doing
than we are in the analysis of the product
and instead of due dates and deadlines
let’s have time. lots of time.
time for climbing trees and singing songs and making cookies
time for being ourselves
and instead of authority let’s have community
we can see each other as people
no matter how old you are or how young i am
and instead of recess
let’s have the outdoors be a place
we go anytime, all day long
like the kitchen, or the living room or the grocery store or the post office
we just go outside and it’s a normal sort of thing to do
i have a good idea.
Co-Founder