Education
40 Years in Jewelry
Silbury Education and Resource Center
One of the more enlightening chapters of my life began when I became involved in gifted education in Vancouver, British Columbia.
After running the Vancouver, BC, Chapter of the Gifted Association for three years organizing activities, speakers, and conferences, I co-founded Silbury Education & Resource Center, an innovative educational learning center that operated for five years.
I spent an entire year independently reorganizing the British Columbia K–Grade 7 curriculum into an integrated, global, interdisciplinary, theme-based learning environment.
Rather than teaching subjects in isolation, I designed a curriculum that explored how history, science, mathematics, geography, literature, art, and nature connect within a larger picture. WHY? It is a renaissance approach that invite the interconnected of ALL
Silbury operated under a homeschooling umbrella, providing full-time, part-time, and enrichment opportunities for gifted, creative, and often twice-exceptional learners.
Our Differences
We recognized that children do not all learn in the same way. Some excelled intellectually while facing challenges with handwriting, auditory processing, visual development, sensory integration, or conventional classroom expectations. I worked with community experts, some considered “fringe” , but effective. Too many children were being mislabeled with ADD when the issue could simply be a vision issue! For too many, the verdict could be a” life sentence:” with no remediation, which could be simple.
To meet these diverse needs, I brought together educators, tutors, occupational therapists, learning specialists, subject experts, and creative professionals.
I never saw an assessment that was universal. It was always individual. I gathered a of remediation team to work in concert for the child.
Integration – Body, Mind and Spirit
Silbury’s curriculum integrates across disciplines. This is a renaissance approach to learning, which ignites divergent, and big picture thinking; fostering an understanding of our interconnectedness to the web of life. Silbury’s students connect through exploration, imagination and conversation.
Silbury integrates multiple and global perspectives a mandate for learning so our children will be ready for the world stage. Respect for the contributions of all societies is essential if we are to engage in meaningfulrelationships.
Silbury has planted a seed by giving life to the love of learning, taking inspiration from great creative minds of the past like Leonardo Di Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, who examined the innate wisdom of our natural world, and saw our interconnectedness to the web of life.
This way children can see the whole, be whole and act in way that respects the whole.
The Community Became Our Classroom
At Silbury Education, I believed that the entire community could become our classroom. Rather than limiting learning to traditional textbooks and teachers, I brought together Vancouver’s extraordinary network of museums, science centers, artists, academics, and specialized instructors to create a rich, hands-on educational experience. The Vancouver Museum provided opportunities for weekend explorations and specialized programs, while the Science Centre hosted our robotics activities. Circus West brought movement, creativity, and physical challenges to our Friday sports programs, while Academie Duello introduced students to the discipline and artistry of fencing. Ph.D.-level experts shared their knowledge in specialized areas of science and religious studies, and an art therapist helped weave creative expression into our interdisciplinary themes. Each expert brought a different dimension to learning, allowing students to explore subjects through science, history, art, movement, and culture. My role was to connect these remarkable people and resources, transforming the community itself into a living, breathing classroom where learning extended far beyond four walls.
“Silbury provides an ideal learning environment for my adolescent son. His learning style and individuality is respected and the curriculum is approached in a manner that engages and inspires him. His ideas are given infinite creative space while being guided into new territory by wonderful teachers. The latest ideas are explored, discussed, and, when appropriate, applied to provide context. My son returns home from Silbury every day full of ideas and hope. In fact, he has been so successfully encouraged and supported in his areas of interest that he has a very impressive and accurate grasp on where he will apply his gifts in the future. And he’s only thirteen!!”
“Our daughter’s math grades have significantly improved since she has attended part time at Silbury for Grade 7 and 8, and she also really enjoys the philosophical, artistic and intellectual conversations she can have with various teachers and students at Silbury. Karen Elkins has a thorough understanding of the gifted and creative child, and works with the teachers to ensure the students are challenged and engaged. She is particularly pleased that she has an opportunity to practice and study architecture, which has been her passion for the last couple of years.”
If it were not for Silbury, I swear that I would be the most miserable person on this planet. Through excellent and interesting classes I have excelled and I am now reaching my full learning potential. When I was younger I was always different from everyone else, and I was therefore the one that got beaten up and picked on all the time. I had no one I could relate to. Thanks o my mother’s hard work ( Karen Elkins)I am no longer bored out of my skull by tedious textbooks and uninteresting topics. I now have the chance to talk to experts with interests similar to mine and who are willing to discuss politics and other things that get my head going. I actually have intelligent and interesting friends who I can share a talk with.”
After running the Vancouver Chapter of the Gifted Association and operating Silbury I became an independent consultant in the area of gifted education. As a result I was invited to be a guest on The Bill Good Show along with international experts Dr. Linda Silverman, Dr. Thomas West, Barry McDonald, and Sue Jackson. I was has interviewed on television and radio (CBC, CKNW, CHMB, Conscious Living Radio, It Takes a Village) and featured in The Vancouver Sun, The Province, the Vancouver Courier, and the North Shore News.Shared Vision Magazine describes me as a “visionary.”
