Dear Springhouse community,
I am a grandparent of a Springhouse student as well as a Springhouse Partner. You would think having two grandchildren graduate and one still attending would be reason enough to be a Partner, but it’s much more than that to me.
I was bullied several times in public school, with the worst incident occurring in fourth grade when a former friend attacked me after I switched seats to avoid his distractions and got disciplined for it. To escape him, I changed my route home until the school year ended. Bullying is traumatic to children while parents and other adults don’t realize it’s happening or blow it off as being imagined—not real.
Springhouse School understands and practices caring for students through its Sourced Design Principles—particularly Taking Care of Vulnerability and Building Beloved Community. Each student is cared for by the whole group which is the way society should be. This is particularly important for students because learning requires an atmosphere of caring and nurturing. Our culture today is particularly poisonous with political and cultural fighting constantly occurring in the news and even in our communities. Families become estranged from each other. Coping is very difficult for children and adults, alike.Someone once told me that if you want to know what a person really cares about, look at their checkbook register or credit card statement. By financially partnering with Springhouse, I know my monthly investment makes a difference in the lives of many.
~ Dave Werner
