Springmont is located at 5750 Long Island Drive, Atlanta. Information: www.springmont.com.
Some of the skills that will serve students well as they move into high school and college aren’t taught out of textbooks. At the Springmont Montessori school in Sandy Springs, middle schoolers learn those lessons as part of the Explorers program, short units incorporated into the curriculum that cover a range of topics.
“The Explorers program has been in effect for as long as we’ve had middle school,” said Jerri King, who has led the school for the last 10 years. “It includes short units that integrate skills they need to develop as they approach high school. We’ve used the program to create a wisdom course in logic and thinking; a section on the nuances of collaboration and communication; and a unit on study skills and social skills development - self awareness and managing time, for example.”
Explorers also takes students outside the realm of typical school activities, such as learning how to fence under the tutelage of a U.S. Olympic fencing team coach. “Each of these units offers an opportunity to step outside the comfort zone and do something they normally wouldn’t, or work on personal development in ways that will help them in high school and college,” said King.
In the last few weeks, students have been honing a skill that not only teaches physical and collaborative skills but will also leave a legacy on the campus and possibly open their eyes to a career field they may know little about. Working alongside Springmont parent and iron worker Andrew Crawford, the youngsters have been learning the art of blacksmithing.
“We did a metalworking class about 10 years ago,” said King, “but this is the first time we’ve had blacksmithing. It’s great because it integrates math, science, aesthetics and design.”
Crawford, who lives in the Berkeley Park neighborhood of Atlanta and has a studio on the city’s westside, says blacksmithing is the underlying craft that supports his work in sculpting, metal fabricating and metal working. He showcased those skills as part of the four-week spring Explorers program.
“I’m using blacksmithing to teach them something bigger than blacksmithing,” said Crawford. “We’ve talked about life lessons that go way outside what they’re doing. Blacksmithing is about thinking ahead, making sure you know what you’re doing, being aware of your surroundings, breaking down a process into smaller steps. Those are all qualities I use as a fabricator every day.”
Crawford has also used the class as a way to get kids thinking about craftsmanship. “It’s always been my understanding that if I want something unique, I have to make it myself,” he said. “It promotes personal confidence and free thought, things I care deeply about. It’s also important for this most of these kids, whose parents don’t make a living with their hands. It’s good for them to see something other than an office.”
Last week, Crawford set up a portable forge on the campus, and students got to work twisting and bending metal for a bench they’re building as a gift to the school to commemorate the first blacksmithing course - something Crawford wishes he had been exposed to as a kid.
“If I had had a blacksmith come to my school, I probably would not have gone to college,” he said with a laugh. “I would have shown up at his shop and said, ‘Let’s get it on!’ ”
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