The role of a staff person at Crystal Farm is not to drive spikes of data, information, or more than likely misinformation, into the supine, passively receptive skulls of students. Freire defines this as the “banking” method of teaching.

If you believe, as we do, in the philosophy that people, especially those of high school age, have an innate, survival based drive to learn, it then becomes an educators role to empower, facilitate, enable, encourage, guide, supervise, hustle, con, cajole, parent, expose, funnel, integrate, incite self-discipline, and then stay out of the way. Of course this is much more difficult than the banking method, albeit much more effective, powerful, dynamic, and efficient in the long run, i.e., over the life of the learner. It is also a much scarier, riskier route to tread as one has much less control over outcomes, must trust in the ability and honesty of the learner, and must run very fast to keep-up with the learner [never mind staying ahead]. Freire defines this as the “teacher-as-student/student-as-teacher” dynamic. “Your attitude toward your partner should be like a parent to a child, loving unconditionally, but also leading and expecting they will follow.” O’Sensei

The tasks of the “teacher” in an environment such as Crystal Farm then becomes working with other staff and students to develop the overall curriculum developing coincident curriculum of their area of responsibility assessing student’s individual skills, proclivities, interests, identifying and/or developing resources, learning materials [programmed, inter-net, etc.] courses of study, project topics, conducting small group “classes”, and occasionally giving a full-school “lecture” supervising small group and individual learning programs and projects

At Crystal Farm we are all educators and as such we are all “staff”. The primary responsibility of some staff will be academics, [these would be teachers in other schools], some staff would have primary responsibility for organizational tasks, [Administrators in traditional settings]. For others their foremost objectives would be athletics/kinesthetics, or as house parents, or the construction, management and maintenance of property, or the arts, etc. Also, all staff will mentor several students. But we will all be “cross referenced” in several areas. For example; the Operations Manager might also teach office management, be a house parent and mentor 4 students with an interest in business management. The math teacher could supervise a construction project and be a part of a jazz band. In addition to kinesthetics, house parenting and mentoring, the head-of-school could sponsor an Asian studies project or give a course in ethics, and often conduct morning kinesthetics. The Head cook could teach/supervise students cooking, teach a course on nutrition, organize evening meditation, be a house parent and mentor.

Totally exhausting. It makes doing eight hours digging ditches seem like a vacation. It’s a sixteen hour day, at least. How can we possibly do it? There are some meliorating factors. The staff-to-student ratio is only 1 to 5. Because of the school’s emphasis on programmed learning materials, distance learning and project based learning, no one is cooped up all day in classroom. It is more like being a full professor at an excellent university, while having a high consulting load and writing a book. Still sounds like a lot.

There are several factors, aside from working at such an exciting place, with such outrageously cute people, which make this both bearable, feasible and invigorating.

1. While the primary purpose of the school is the students, the primary tool we have to achieve that purpose is us, the staff. A look at the budget makes this eminently clear.

    • the total operating budget for the first full year of operation is $2,555,700,
    • the total for salaries/benefits [equal pay for all staff : $49,160 FTE], $1,032,300 [does not include value of housing & meals]
    • the total for staff training, development etc. $ 96,000

This gives Crystal farm a staff-to-operational expense ratio of around 50%, which is unheard-of in education. Plus, in addition to salary, staff receive housing and meals [which would up the ratio to better than 60%]:

    • We will live as a part of an intentional community, one which incorporates worthwhile work, “right living”, an excellent, ecological life style and a high level of spirituality into a holistic Way of living.
    • The biggest, and best thing, the catalyst which makes it all possible is us, an entire staff, working collaboratively together;
       in achieving very clear goals and objectives which we set for ourselves, as a group and individually,
       in sharing, supporting, encouraging, enabling, arguing, struggling, evaluating, empowering each other,
       in doing for ourselves what we would want to do for the students, living the way we would want them to learn to live, being in the world the Way we hope they will be.

We can not be who we hope our students will some day be,
but we strive to be the people
and create the place which will enable them to be,
to their utmost.

Excerpted from Crystal Farm’s Mission, Goals and Objectives

GOAL VI: Staff [See “On Being Crystal Farm Staff”]

While the purpose of Crystal Farm School is the education and preparation of young people to successfully enter society, the most important element of the school for accomplishing that goal is our staff. Crystal Farm has three primary criteria for staff;

    • that they have a depth of knowledge and passion for their subject
    • that they have an abiding respect for young people, a commitment to making that knowledge and passion available to them and enabling them to become strong, positive members of their society.
    • that they have appropriate professional credentials in their field, and are, or are actively working towards, teacher certification.

There will be one category or level of employee. Whether full time, part time, paid, volunteer, or intern, whether their primary role is teaching, residential, administrative, or operational, everyone is “staff’ and is privy to the same privileges, powers and authorities and subject to the same expectations, accountabilities and responsibilities.

Race, ethnicity, gender, religious or political affiliation shall not be a criteria in selection of staff.
The desired ratio is one staff [as defined above] for each five students.

Consensus decision making will be used through out the school. Consensus decision making does not mean that staff, as a group or individually, abrogate our special responsibility as adults in the community. Nor does it mean that we will not exercise the authorities appropriate to those responsibilities. What it does entail is the special responsibility to make every situation a learning opportunity, to enable valid and viable student participation, to bring the “givens”, the internal and external [non-arbitrary] realities to the process and especially means we are obliged to be strong, supportive adult role models. It requires focused, time consuming expenditure of energy in the development, implementation and constant assessment of our roles, responsibilities and especially the exercise of our authorities in the light of the principles and philosophy of empowerment. It means being constantly aware of the need to bring students into the decisional process in real and genuine roles and the rewards and dangers inherent to that participation for the community, the student and to ourselves as individuals and as a staff. Democracy is not a natural growth, it is a weary responsibility.

Reviewing growth and performance of staff in a not-for-profit organization is as difficult as it is important; to the organization, to those the organization hopes to serve, and to the staff, upon whom both rely on so much. Constructive feedback, positive and negative, is necessary for both our professional and for our personal growth. However, to have this feedback directly linked to evaluation for contract renewal creates pressures which make it difficult, if not impossible, to have the process of evaluation for growth function effectively. Therefore there will be two separate processes; one for on-going staff evaluation, and one for review for reappointment.

All staff are expected to participate in morning and evening meditation/exercises and to actively participate in the daily practice of Aikido and other forms of kinesthetic arts as possible.
As it is intended that the majority of the staff shall live on campus, special efforts will have to be invested in developing and nurturing the dynamics of an intentional community. This will include such things as the physical living situations, staff support systems to include on-going feed-back and evaluation and assurance of private space and time.

Staff training is seen as extremely important. A significant portion of the budget will be for training. We will utilize a Master teacher in all major areas and internal trainers as well as bringing in trainers/consultants and and we will facilitate continuing education.

Salaries and benefits shall be the equivalent value to those of local [Conn?] public schools. Benefits shall be a percentage of salary [25%], with options offered as a “menu” plan and will include housing and meals.

All staff shall be certified/licensed/ranked in their primary area of responsibility, or be willing to obtain such with-in one year [or as appropriate] All staff shall have four areas of responsibility; academic, counseling, kinesthetic and admin/service. In addition to their primary area of responsibility, each staff person must be capable in the other three areas or be willing to be trained