Celebrating 50 Years, Decade One
A Podcast by the Students, Parents, and Staff of Clonlara School Episode 1 Description Join parent Barbara Robertson as she explores five decades of Clonlara’s rich history ahead of the school’s 50th anniversary celebration (Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2017). In this episode covering decade one, Barbara talks with Founder Pat Montgomery about her decision to start […]
Making Connections a World Away
By Bev Munday, Director of Education I left Michigan on August 1, flying to India for a four-day to visit Sri Atmanada Memorial School, which has been affiliated with Clonlara since 2005. I had never been to India and expected to experience a very different place, which or course it was, but I unexpectedly came […]
Summertime and the Learnin’ Continues…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Cassie Espich, Off-Campus Program Advisor Summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere, and many of you might be wondering what your students can do for the next few months! Some of you might choose to continue specific academic studies throughout the summer, maybe through a project study or bridge books. Some might decide to […]
Congratulations, Class of 2017!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] By Kevin Fitzgerald, Editor Clonlara School’s Class of 2017 included 109 students, representing 18 U.S. states and 20 countries. Each of these students had their own individual interests, passions, and goals, and while many did not know each other personally, they all shared the support of their families and a school that let them make […]
Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future
By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: Founder Pat Montgomery delivered Clonlara School’s commencement address on Saturday, June 10, 2017. In her speech, she shared her reasons for starting Clonlara and her vision for giving young people the space and opportunity to discover who they want to be and what they want to accomplish. A complete audio […]
The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Learning
By Shari Maser, Off-Campus Program Advisor Quotes make me think. They distill ideas down to their essence, raise questions, and inspire me to go out and learn more to build my own understanding of a topic or interest area. When it comes to learning, a number of education writers and philosophers come to mind whose […]
Television’s New Reality: Media Resources for Parents in the Age of Video Streaming
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Emily Fitzgerald, Guest Author In March, Netflix released a new series that immediately became popular among teenagers and young adults. 13 Reasons Why, based on a novel of the same name, is about a 17-year-old girl who commits suicide and leaves behind tapes explaining why she decided to kill herself. Almost as quickly as the […]
The Fine Art of Negotiation
By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: From time to time, we’ll “look back” through our archives to share articles that are as relevant today as when they were printed. In this piece that was originally published in the April 2003 issue of The Learning Edge, Clonlara’s founder discusses the importance of involving children in decision-making […]
Supporting Students with Special Needs
By Cassie Espich, Off-Campus Program Advisor You might have heard about the newest Sesame Street character, Julia, whose television debut this April was timed to coincide with Autism Awareness Month. The new Muppet is a 4-year-old girl with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As someone with a background in early childhood special education who has worked […]
Let Your Child Be Your Teacher
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Shari Maser, Off-Campus Program Advisor I played two characters: the “perfect” student, Mary Ingalls, and the “class clown,” Johnny Johnson. My daughter played Laura Ingalls, the schoolteacher. (Using a bit of revisionist history, we made Mary the younger sister for the purposes of our Little House on the Prairie role-playing game, and we invented […]