Last week, I mentioned that I am happy to be someone who can make decisions easily because it allows me to remain open, invite new ideas, and be "flexible enough to hone and play with the elements of the previous decision..." mainly because "...in my mind, nothing is ever finished - everything is an organic, shape-shifting progression."

When I wrote that, I had just spent the week ruminating about a plan I had brainstormed and shared with the Board the previous Thursday. It includes some painful changes here at Deep Root Center, necessitated by some rough fiscal realities and fraught with feelings of guilt, failure, and frustration - but has enormous potential for positive outcomes.

Since the beginning of this year, we have known that we can not feasibly financially support a second Center - while keeping our promise to accept any child who wants to join us - with a pay-what-you-can policy, and in the absence of significant grants or committed large scale sponsorships. We have tried in good faith with as much creative fundraising and community support as we can muster for the past four years but always with the same results, a gigantic red deficit - at the end of the year - driven by costs even with an austerity budget. Which ultimately puts all of Deep Root Center at risk.

Therefore, we have decided to close the Massena Center at the end of May and transition to a model we call - DRC Pop-Ups. (The Canton Center will remain open as is.) This framework offers a way for us to navigate our pledge to support as many kids as possible, seeking an alternative that puts each of them in charge of their education.

And now, presenting: DRC Pop-ups - for 24/25

• 2-day-a-week program --- 3-4 hrs/day
• Staffed with a mentor (contracted support person) - Per Diem
• Use a community room in a library, a community center, or a local small business.
  • We would not keep supplies or equipment in the space. Participants would be responsible for their materials and supplies (items could be stored at different participants' homes and brought each time
  • Potentially rotate the pop-up to a different space and town each week during each month. Ex. Massena, Norwood, Brasher or Winthrop, & ?. (After assessing the outcomes, we will consider creating more Pop-Up pods - in the future.)
    • Asking local businesses or organizations to host a DRC Pop-Up - creates an opportunity to network and create built-in support.
• Participants choose when to attend and can use their time at the Pop-Ups to socialize, work on collaborative projects, and get mentoring support. 
  • There would be a fee invoiced for the IHIP & LOI PKG at the beginning of the year and a pay-as-you-go fee - to be paid on the days the child attends. Accounts would have to be up to date before the child could participate.
• Current in-person Massena members can opt to do this new pop-up model or come to Canton for a 4-day-a-week program and pay a per-month fee as they do now. There could be opportunities for carpooling. 

We believe this plan will allow us to effectively increase the number of self-directed home schoolers we can support, both current in-person and current & future consultees. (I have helped over fifty with our consultation program this year.) It offers the services kiddos are already receiving from DRC and will (hopefully) be self-sustaining (with continued fundraising efforts). It also allows young people even more time for other opportunities outside of DRC, such as getting a job, volunteering, focusing on their future goals, creating a social network with other home schoolers, etc. 

Changes usually bring some sadness - but they also carry immense affirmative potential and satisfaction within all their "organic, shape-shifting progressions." That is the piece I am focusing on now. Onward!


*Note - any family I currently consult with is welcome to get in touch to learn more about our Pop-Up opportunities in the Fall. Or if you know of anyone who plans on homeschooling and may need our help - please let them know they can reach out anytime.

Besides navigating the above announcement, our kiddos have been busy at both Centers.

We began Spring Break on Friday and will continue through April 8th. We considered opening for the eclipse - but keeping our kiddos and their families safe from a potential influx of visitors and the traffic it will create was our biggest concern. Therefore, we will see all of our kids on April 9th.

Get your exclusively designed Eclipse shirt from DRC's Printify Shop.

Why do my life lessons usually involve reflecting on the stupid shit I did moments before?

Case in point, this post is inspired by my impulsive decision to hurry down a steep, muddy hill (with inappropriate shoes) - instead of taking the steps (or sending a kiddo) - to catch someone to give them something before they drove away.

I won't leave you hanging - yes, I did fall and get covered in mud, and I did dislocate my arm for the 5th(!) time. (Oh, yes, the kids got the items to the person before they left.) *Pro tip - after you have a couple of arm dislocations under your belt, it doesn't really hurt - much (although this one aches worse than #3 & #4 and feels more vulnerable to spontaneously dislocating), and you have the advantage of knowing what the Cunningham Method of reduction is - which you can tell the ER nurse to do instead of the technique that requires sedation (explaining how it is done if necessary).

The upside of being a person who is rarely indecisive is that I am not afraid of jumping in, making mistakes, getting dirty (quite literally), and fully understanding that I need to be flexible enough to hone and play with the elements of the previous decision. This is why, in my mind, nothing is ever finished - everything is an organic, shape-shifting progression.

The downside is that sometimes the decisions are impulsive, and the required pivot may involve a visit to the ER or an apology.

Thinking more deeply about it, I will always take the trade-off. Because - it also means that I am (mostly) open to the possibilities - within all the opportunities. Which allows me the freedom to follow whatever seemingly crazy, outside-the-box, unconventional ideas my neuro-spicy brain dreams up.

Now, I simply need to train myself to determine (and stop) the dangerous impulses that will land me in the ER or some kind of trouble - again. (If that doesn't go well, you will surely read about it here!)

Find this latest exclusive design to celebrate the solar eclipse in our Printify Shop. Every shirt purchased helps DRC.

Thank you to our friend, Kris Rozelle of Kris a Lis Designs, for spending a day at each Center this past week to make cool eclipse shirts with glow-in-the-dark fabric paint.

*The Canton Center will be closed on Monday to allow me an additional day to rest my arm.

I spent my typical writing day at the North Country Kids Expo talking to some fabulous folks about Deep Root Center - so I put together just a few seemingly random thoughts about fearing change - before heading out yesterday morning.

• Change is inevitable (as long as you are "above ground").
• It is often uncomfortable or painful.
• Fighting and railing against change only makes it more unpleasant and is less likely to lead to meaningful individual growth or progress for society. 
• Leaning into it with intentional flexibility, adapting, and actively problem-solving are some ways to lessen the fear, create another version of awesome, and thrive individually and as a community. 

Have you noticed that a direct demand often feels icky when you are on the receiving end? Most of us, by our very nature, resist being told what to do. A few of us often observe a dictate as an open challenge and intentionally do the opposite.

Maybe not ironically, the foundation of our traditional educational system is built on telling kids what to do and how, when, and where to do it.

We punish those kids who push back against that built-in coercion - and then place a laser focus on their deficits (and "bad" behavior) with more ineffectual intimidation and oppression.  

On the other end of the spectrum, some succumb after years of constant instruction, doing precisely as told (no more or less), and are rewarded.  

Children from both categories find their way to Deep Root Center. The kids in the first group often come with a bright red warning label that screams impulsivity and trouble. But all I see is restrained, untapped potential - endless imagination, problem-solving skills, and vision.

To be completely transparent - it is absolutely exhausting to be around all that chaotic energy, and I have to constantly remind myself that putting a leash on it would destroy the very essence of innovation and ingenuity that this world needs.

Working with those in the second group can be equally emotionally taxing. Don't be fooled - perceived victim-hood and "I can't" syndrome are absolutely real and crippling. These folks, even as adults, have no idea how to do anything without direction or rewards - they have no sense of creativity or problem-solving skills to speak of and throw their hands up in surrender when they bump up against anything that becomes even the tiniest bit challenging. Getting them to a place of joyful self-motivation - without using sticks or carrots is a herculean task, too.

In both cases, we actively try to avoid telling kids what to do. The first group wouldn't listen anyway, and we would only be setting the second group back by reinforcing their internalized helplessness.

Some would say we are creating a generation of "brats" who can't (won't) do what they're told - my response is we are supporting kids to be responsible for their words and actions - show kindness and compassion for others, and speak (show) up for themselves. All the while not sheltering them from the real world. 

The drawing for our Lotto Ticket Raffle is March 17th! Purchase your chances here.

Meet us at the Kid Expo next Saturday, March 16th from 10 - 4. We will be there with a table full of arts and crafts supplies for kids to create to their heart's content.  Stop in to learn more about DRC.

Lots of hands-on action and cool conversations were had at both Centers this past week.

As you may recall, "have fun" is how I end every consultation phone call. Additionally, that idea encompasses the foundational philosophy that we practice every day. 

Most of us intimately understand that having fun and exploring new things in a playful manner are the catalysts for creativity and innovation, while perceived fear, frustration, intimidation, and coercion shut them down. However, that concept is rarely carried through to our educational or work life - the two places we arguably need to be on top of our creative and innovative game.

At DRC-Canton on Friday, we had a clear example of this in practice. E, our excellent SLU volunteer, often has a fun Kitchen Sink Science activity for us - this week was no exception. The kids are always excited to see what she brings them. This time, she had them split into teams - each had a plate with a few blueberries, a couple of paperclips, and salt and pepper. The challenge was to remove everything from the plate separately without using their hands to touch the items on the plate. They could use anything else to move them - straws, magnets, or whatever they could imagine.

The kicker was that they had to think about it and write instructions before completing the task. E was clear on that instruction. And not surprisingly, that was the most difficult part of the entire activity for many. They wanted to jump in and play with their ideas and had zero interest in planning or writing it all down.

Some ignored her instructions and went ahead and experimented without drafting a strategy. Others tried to follow the rules - but had trouble articulating their ideas without first playing and exploring.

While listening in from my desk, I tried to explain to the kids that E wanted them to write their plan down so it could be replicated - one of the basic tenets of science. But they were still feeling frustrated with that part. 

A few kids did figure out the steps to accomplish the challenge. But the written part was definitely sketchy at best. 

When I checked in with E while she was cleaning up, I observed that the exercise most definitely served to reveal everyone's personality pretty quickly. Their responses ranged from deep frustration, nonchalance, to determination - one kid was actually separating each piece of salt and pepper methodically with a straw, another was convinced that water was the answer and mostly got it to work.

She replied that she had no idea that a couple of kids would straight-up "rage quit."  I think she learned something from the experience - too.

I was pondering all this early Saturday morning - thinking maybe if they were allowed to document the instructions while playing and creating, that would have made a difference for the kids who were most frustrated with the activity and still keep the scientific integrity that E was trying to teach. Then, I received Peter Gray's latest blog. 

And as often happens - his words directly related to everything I was trying to puzzle out. (I even sent it to E - as one more resource to think about.)

Therefore, I'll leave you to peruse his clear and concise essay (linked below) instead of attempting to wrangle and untangle these same ideas that are randomly bumping against each other inside my head - into something readable. Enjoy!

( PS - I highly recommend subscribing to Dr. Gray's Substack.)

The Playful Mind is a Creative Mind
From: Play Makes Us Human - by Dr.Peter Gray