Why I started Springwell
A few years ago, I began dreaming about the kinds of learning opportunities that I wanted for my young children. I thought of wildly engaging, exciting experiences that would teach them not just content, but that would imprint unto their souls a love of learning... for life. I wanted to provide them the opportunity to connect with themselves, with others, and with the world, in an out-of-the-box kind of way. I started to make a list:
wrapping their minds and bodies around fractions by learning rhythms through cross-cultural drumming or dance experiences, like in this video of kathak and tap dance (enjoy!)
getting excited about chemistry and their own biology through cooking lessons from cultures around the world, and experiencing the five+ tastes on their own tongues (salty, spicy, bitter, sweet, umami)
practicing mindfulness and learning about nature by being outside
connecting with community and ancestors through oral history and community projects around topics of their own choosing, and
finding their own calling through entrepreneurship, sustainability and engineering projects, robotics, real-world internships, and being at the cutting edge of all things cool and exciting to them, their generation, and the world around them.
The more I added to this list, the more I realized that I didn't want these to be just enrichment opportunities for them. I wanted this to be their school experience. I wanted them to know that being well, being excited about life and learning, staying engaged, playful, and loving, and moved by experience to impact the world by following their own calling was the way to live, for life.
The more I looked for a progressive schooling opportunity like this near downtown Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and our neighboring areas, the more I realized that there was a gap that I could fill for our community.
This is Springwell and I hope you join us.
Gloria Chan
Springwell Founder
A Video Message from Our Founder
