#kaylien

Over the years I've been on my fair share of school tours. At this point, whether I'm looking at special ed programs for Benjamin or mainstream ones for Zack, I feel like I've pretty much seen it all. So yesterday I was floored--and massively impressed--when I visited Space of Mind Studio and Schoolhouse, founded and run by my old friend Ali Kaufman.

Ali invited me over there for a little screening of Kaylien (that's the short film inspired by this blog, for those of you who luckily missed my recent burst of shameless self-promotion), followed by questions from the students. 

Once I arrived I understood why she thought the movie, with its outsider theme, might resonate with her students. See, SOM isn't just a progressive school. In fact, it's not technically even a school. Instead, it's a community of students following their own individual home school curriculums.

These kids do not fit the typical home school profile, i.e., their parents didn't go this route for religious or ideological reasons. Instead they have mostly all left their regular schools because they weren't thriving due to a variety of reasons, ranging from attention and/or anxiety issues to high functioning autism. "Our mission," says Ali, "is to reduce the stress that traditional school inflicts on students and families." 

Here, with the help of the SOM "coaches," the 11 students (all 6th through 12th graders) are able to work at their own pace, without being confined to desks or rigid class schedules. Besides being responsible for their academic assignments, the students help tend their patch of the local community garden, prepare their own meals, and clean up after themselves. 

One of the coolest things about the place is, well, the place. All of the educating happens just five seconds from the ocean, in a renovated farmhouse that also happens to be the oldest building in Delray Beach. The space is open and bright, with walls covered in scribbles and drawings. 

Here's the library

and the art room

and the music room

  and the yoga studio (!)

the best thing i've watched all week. the only thing that has gotten me to actually enjoy hearing "born this way" after numerous listenings. watch til the end.

Kaylien is the new kid at school. The one the other kids like to bully—maybe it's because she's different or special or.....an alien life form forced to live in the human society? See the world through her eyes, as she takes on the 4th grade in this heartwarming tale from director Zoe Saldana.

An interesting spin on the alien thing. A short by Zoe Saldana (Star Trek)

Click below to watch the 18-min movie:

(Watch it here) - (And please do take 20 minutes of your day to do so. It left me crying like a stupid person... in a good way, as weird as it is to say that about something so honest that it hurts.)

Kaylien is the new kid at school. The one the other kids like to bully—maybe it's because she's different or special or.....an alien life form forced to live in the human society? See the world through her eyes, as she takes on the 4th grade in this heartwarming tale from director Zoe Saldana.