Testimonials
Just walked into Feelosophers Path and I continue to be impressed .. one student in the living room getting instruction from Hiro via FaceTime, another student at the patio table with Erin, and my son reading to another tutor on the picnic blanket .. just cool - thank you for bringing your vision to life!!
Thank you for taking my kid in a little early yesterday --- we saw the sign on the door and she was glad to be able to enter early --- it was nice to see your bright smile while letting her in --- thank you also for giving her time to work on her Spanish translation --- she had a week to do it but left it for yesterday (doez this sound like any other teenagerz that you have encountered in your teaching career...) --- we sat with her last night after dinner with a PC dictionary and completed the task by around 9:45PM --- we would never have completed the assignment if she hadn't have gotten a head-start at FP --- thank YOU for this!
I have not had a chance to stop by and chat with you but I wanted you to know that I am really happy that she is attending your program. She clearly has developed new skills and new wonderful behavior... she is more helpful at home, she is open to trying all sorts of food (she had never wanted to have salads or hummus ... before) and she always reports that she has had such a great time during class. So thank you for playing such an important role in her life.... as you did in her sister's life...
She had a great time yesterday! I'd love for her to come once a week on Thursdays.
I am really excited. I'm hoping this will work out to be a wonderful long term community for my daughter.
Voices
Stepping Stones: I can honestly say I wouldn't be where I am today without the skills I learned in Stepping Stones. They have made high school and college so much easier; I don't waste any time studying without learning. Even in college, I'm amazed by the number of people who study but don't learn. Thanks to the skills I learned in Stepping Stones, I can spend twenty minutes studying vocabulary and master it, while my classmates spend two hours and only remember half of the information.
Circle of Feelosophers: I think that the atmosphere of Circle of Feelosophers is what sets it apart from anything else. Just the idea that a bunch of pre-teens can come together and share everything is astounding; add to that the fact that it is an effective way to tackle problems, and you have nothing short of a miracle.
Erin's Stepping Stones Program really helped me in high school because I started my freshman year with a knowledge of study skills and organizational skills. The program helped us find which study skills worked best for us, and this saved time and minimized stress for me when I had tests or exams to study for. It was also very helpful to get in the habit of keeping my binders organized, because I was already used to it by the time I got into high school.
Circle of Feelosophers class taught us how to respectfully bring up issues, and work through them in a calm manner. If someone brought up an issue, their classmates could help them resolve it. In this safe space, we learned how to listen to people and communicate effectively.
The most common question asked in a classroom is, "when will we ever use this in real life?" For most of us, the answer to that in algebra and physics class, is never. But some classes, like Circles of Feelosophers and Stepping Stones, teach you invaluable skills that don't just come in handy in schooling years, but also for the rest of ones life. I went into high school with an advantage over almost every student in my class. I knew how to keep an organized binder, take notes, and actively study for the tests and quizzes. I also found myself using my Circle of Feelosophers skills to not only understand myself better, but understand those around me. Sometimes in the crazy world of hormonal teenagers, communication and problem solving skills are the most important skills to have. Just like english, math, science and history play key parts in our education process, Circle of Feelosophers and Stepping Stones are just as important to be successful in life.
The skills I learned from the Stepping Stones program have been invaluable to me, both in middle school and in high school. Organization has always been my biggest problem, and Stepping Stones taught me how to keep track of paper and assignments, schedule my day, and make sure I get my work done and hand it in on time. All of these skills have helped me to be a good student at high school. As useful as Stepping Stones was, the most important and essential class for me was Circle of Feelosophers. I had a hard time being nice to people and keeping my temper during my middle school year, and I was never really sure what was appropriate at a given time or place. By talking to my classmates in a structured environment, and hearing what they had to say, and getting help from teachers, I was able to grow and mature and be a more together, mature, and responsible person. Circle of Feelosophers helped me grow up, and I’ll always cherish that.
