Education Learning Community Visits Mennonite School

Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg's Education Learning Community took a field trip to Riverview Mennonite School in Liverpool on March 22. The purpose of the trip was to observe what a typical school day looks like in a two-room schoolhouse for Mennonite children in grades 1 to 8.

Participants included LC director Dr. Tara Diehl, associate professor of mid-level, secondary, and K12 education; assistant director of first-year experience Michelle Swartz; peer mentors Shea Chapman, Sierra Payne, Marissa Chadrow, and Haylee Carl; and learning community students Kiah Kennedy-Morgan, Ave Salley, Tyler Magill, and David Behm.

The group explored the classrooms, observed teaching and learning, and had a question-and-answer session with the students and teachers. They watched as one teacher taught grades 1, 4, 6, and 7 in one room, while another teacher taught grades 2, 3, 5, and 8 in the classroom next door. The group brought textbooks and photos of public classrooms to share, as these students and teachers had not seen a different type of school before.

The CU-Bloomsburg visitors shared what training looks like for public educators, versus the Mennonite teachers training. We discussed what a typical day looks like for public elementary, middle school, and high school students, and that a student can attend anywhere from 2-5 schools in their K-12 education, depending on the size of the district. 
After our school visit, the group visited a Mennonite-owned farm market for lunch and explored more of the Mennonite culture.