GM Heritage Adolescent Community

GM Heritage Adolescent Program provides the ideal setting for students to expand their knowledge
and embark on adult-like responsibilities, preparing them for life in the larger society.

In her book From Childhood to Adolescence, Maria Montessori taught that a farm community setting is the
ideal condition for adolescents to learn the lessons required of this age – to work and live independently. At GM
Heritage Homeschool Co-op students will have the opportunity to collaborate on garden and farm projects,
where they will be responsible for delegating responsibilities and managing finances. The farm will not only
bring to life the lessons of the classroom, but it will also afford them the opportunity to experience valuable
lessons in economics. As they interact on the farm and in the local community, they understand how society is
organized and learn division of labor as well as budgeting and basic accounting.

The Adolescent program is tailored to the developmental needs of each individual. Students of varying abilities
thrive as they learn to live and work together. Integrated studies lead to sophisticated problem solving and
contributions to their learning community.

Learning about other cultures expands their world perspective and helps them explore different ways to
approach the challenging issues of this time. Through critical literary studies and in depth research projects
students come to understand the planet we all live on, and the people who are our global family.

GM Heritage aims to educate the whole child on their path to adulthood; therefore learning is divided into three
categories:

Academics Occupational Studies Personal Growth

 Mathematics  cooking and menu  public speaking
 Science planning  Socratic Seminar
 Technology  farming and gardening  arts & sports
 Language Arts  construction and wood  business & economics
 History working  entrepreneurship
 World Languages  sustainability practices  creative & physical
 Religion  small business operation expression

The integrated studies of the adolescent program tackle local, social and environmental challenges as focal
points. Students solve real-world problems through collective work and engaging experts, both locally and
globally. They learn to apply science, history, economics, technology, mathematics, and communication to
affect local and global change.