Chewonki is a place for those who are inspired, motivated, and want to learn. This community cultivates healthy learning processes, but really, the biggest part of this derives from the values of the students. A love for learning has to be inspired by a connection between the student and the material, and a genuine interest in it. Everything I have done work-wise so far at Chewonki, I have felt so connected to, and I want to learn instead of studying to pass, or busying myself with meaningless information. This inspiration derives from passion; at Chewonki, there is a shared passion for the ideas behind sustainability and environmental sciences. Our readings engage me, the discussions are deep and meaningful, and the ideas shared by everyone aren’t just respected, they are applauded and appreciated. My peers and I have shared, through conversation, a sense of place. We feel like we belong in this program, beyond just a body taking up an empty spot in a classroom. The teachers don’t talk at us, they talk with us, in and out of the classroom.

I remember the time, at dinner, a table of 8, teachers and students sitting around one round table, discussing Thoreau over a hand-cooked meal of lamb chops from our farm. At this moment, I realized, this can only happen at Chewonki; what a unique experience. To live and eat with your teachers, as if they were your family. To talk about our readings, to discuss our passion, over dinner. This enthusiasm for what we are learning would never be seen at home. The mindless drone at lunch, hunched over our phones, only speaking about meaningless things. “When is our math test?” “Hey, can I copy your homework?” “How long until break?” A life of rhythm without passion, my biggest fear. A day job in an office, repetitious, boring, not making a difference, just there. 

This knowledge, through the education that we will gain and have gained during Chewonki, is beyond the curriculum. It is deeper. It is a sense of enablement. Here we learn because we love to, we take away from the classroom the ideas, the concepts, but most importantly, the empowerment. To create change, to be unique, and to hold what we have been taught close to our hearts, so we can share it.

While I have been here, I have thought a lot about the power of education. These teachers here love to teach us, and they hold great leverage on the outcome as we step out of this program. The nurture of these incredible people here will shape our morals and values well and for the better, but that outcome can differ greatly depending on the nurture of education. This difference can be seen through lackluster teachers, using outdated techniques and ideas that teach us basic-level knowledge and no more. Teachers who don’t teach the large picture, teachers who don’t instill passion, motivation, and the morals and values required to shape the people who make change and inspire our next generations with the same values. In the case of Chewonki, a lot of the values surround our environment, respect, and cultivating peaceful and happy communities working together with the natural world. But these values can differ, and obviously, deciding what a good value is is an opinion, but for this, it’s to strive for the betterment of our world. Chewonki has reignited the flame of passion for learning inside of me, and I want to share that love. We need to value education more and put more effort into shaping the morals of our next generation.

Caz Pendleton, Semester 76
Caz is attending from Marshwood High School in South Berwick, ME