Announcing Shamira Carr our New Elementary Guide!
The Forest School is thrilled to announce that Shamira Carr will be an Elementary Guide for our 2021 school year, alongside Amber!
“Do what you love & you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Shamira, can you tell us about your heart for young people and for this work?
I’m super excited to be a part of The Forest School team! It’s always been my passion to be in a position that allows me to help young people reach their full potential in all aspects of their life. My passion comes from the feeling of not having the support I needed as a young person. When I got older, I decided to be the adult who was ready and available to support a young person’s need without judgment. Identical to The Forest School, I believe it’s crucial for me to provide a balance of warm-heartedness and tough-mindedness with all children.
Can you tell us about your background and what you feel has prepared you for the role of Guide?
All my educator knowledge comes from my work experiences in traditional public school settings and college courses that prepared me for traditional public schools. I passionately love being an Educator but never agreed with the structure of traditional public schools. I always believed that children should be responsible for their education because they would value it more if they did. I believe my concerns with traditional public schools and personal beliefs have prepared me for the role of Guide. In addition to my eagerness to learn the proper way to be a Guide at The Forest School, supporting team members that provide me with honest feedback and a willingness to help me grow.
The Forest School is SO different than a traditional, teacher-led environment...
what you’ve learned—and even had to unlearn—this year?
This year I’ve adventured on my own Hero’s Journey. Being a product of traditional public schools and working in traditional public schools, I had A LOT to learn about the self-directed learning model. I’ve always been a fan of self-regulation and believed that children should take ownership of their education. However, I’ve never seen it facilitated this way. In my short time here, I’ve learned the importance of Socratic discussions, self-governance, and not answering questions. When it comes to new skills I’ve learned how to lead inspiring Socratic discussions, encourage deeper learning, and the beauty in allowing the learners to make their own rules of engagement as well as hold each other accountable. The biggest thing I’ve had to unlearn is catching children before they fail. In the past, I would step in to help learners solve problems in the studio but now as a Guide, I allow them to lean on each other to come up with solutions they deem as fitting.
There is no Graduate School of Education anywhere to prepare people to become a Guide because the role is so unique. So, everyone moving into the role of Guide is at some point going to miss the mark and learn from the experience.
What are a few mistakes you’ve made this year and how have you learned from them?
Through learning these new methods of education, I’ve made some mistakes. One example is that a few times I communicated in a non-Socratic way to learners. I remember one instance where I said, “Stay behind so we can talk” when a Socratic Guide might have said, “Can we chat for a second?.” Another example is that I’ve learned it’s tough to balance warm-heartedness and tough-mindedness. I remember a moment in the Studio when I took recess away, whereas a better balance would have been for me to have Socratic discussions with the learners, inviting them to set the standard and hold one another to it. From those mistakes, I’ve received great feedback from learners and my team members on ways I can improve to ultimately gain the trust of learners, inspire deep learning, and build authentic relationships while being Socratic.
What excites you most about next year?
This year I have learned a lot about my skills and capabilities, self-directed learning, what it means to be a Socratic Guide, and how to become a passenger to the learners regarding all aspects of their education. Being a passenger means the learners get to control their destination and when they need help with directions on their route, I will be there to assist in a Socratic way. Next year, I’m excited to continue building authentic relationships with learners, help create—with the other two Elementary Guides—an adventurous Studio, and connect positively with parents through my relationships with their learners.
Lastly, what’s a quote that inspires you and why?
I love this one: “By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.” I love it because it speaks to the energy or vibe a person gives off when they are in a position that they genuinely love. I always imagined I could be the type of Educator that The Forest School fosters but never believed my dream would come true because of my experiences prior to working here. Now that I am actually living out my dream, I wake up every day ready to inspire and awaken the hearts of others because that’s what the learners do for me on a daily basis.