What the students said in a survey about Claymont’s hybrid Course of Study completes this review. My hope is that you get insight into the course’s strengths and weaknesses from the students’ perspective. With that end in mind, I’ve condensed some of the feedback and included a few direct quotes.
What Students Found Rewarding
In response to the question, what was most rewarding? students mentioned morning exercise, movements, and the two onsite weeks at Claymont. Working together in the kitchen and with practical work, especially. Several students noted they would have liked another in-person week.
Some said they found that having a variety of teachers (both in movements and with morning exercise) was helpful. For example, having more than one person lead the same morning exercise, which happened a few times.
“The daily tasks and daily reminders helped me toward a firmer grasp of Theme and big ideas.”
“Each of the [special guest speakers] brought unexpected value and depth.”
Referring to the staff, one student said, “You modeled a strong message: ‘This is real. This is important.’ I’ve not experienced anything like the course before, anywhere, anytime.”
Student Challenges/Suggestions
When asked what was challenging on the course, one student replied, “I struggled with how concept heavy the evening sessions were. I wonder how or if these could be paired with practice/discovery/discussion in a more experiential way.”
Some found the time we put into having a movements presentation at the end of the course, “distracting.”
Many students found the website valuable, although others mentioned navigation and the inability to “chat” frustrating. Overall, the website was recognized as important to the online segment, “like having an anchor.” As for the weeks spent together online, surprise was expressed at “the deep energetic connection with all that would arise.”
The ratio of staff to students was high. Less staff input at meetings was suggested along with online break-out sessions for smaller group discussions and addressing topics. Having frequent one-on-one check-ins between staff and students was also recommended.
Parting Student Thought
“Something higher was at work, … Now the work is not to get too attached to the ‘form’ but trust the process of holding tensions and to be willing to keep discerning and making it up as you go!”