Mossflower Academy

Exciting news for next semester:

Beginning mid-August we will be expanding our co-op meetings to include a special hour for teens & tweens!

Our new schedule features one hour that overlaps with our younger group of kids plus one hour of quiet, sensory-friendly "teen time" from 1:00-2:00pm.

This new set-up allows our little ones to enjoy the company and assistance of "the big kids" while also enjoying a private hour of age-appropriate activities and games.

Parents are welcome to drop off their teens (12 and up). Younger students will attend from 11am-1pm and still require parent supervision.

I look forward to seeing you all next semester!

Ms. Astrid

Exciting news is coming for my local Arkansas homeschoolers! Stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to my website newsletter (links in bio)!

Recently, Outschool reminded teachers of the importance of disclosing the use of AI in class creation and instruction. This has created some discussion around a) how much AI should be claimed and b) whether or not teachers should using AI to teach in the first place.

As my loyal students and families probably already know, my classes do not - and will not ever - use AI. I do not use AI tools in any way and ignore & disable AI options on the teaching resources I use, such as Google, Canva, Nearpod, etc.

It's true that AI is a helpful tool that saves time and can improve efficiency. In that case, what are your reasons for restricting students from using this helpful tool that also saves them time and allows *them* to be more efficient? If you are using ChatGPT to create or "clean up" class materials you cannot turn around and ban your students from using it to edit and revise their homework.

Personally, I teach only what I am qualified to teach, and subjects that I am passionate about. Since I love every class I teach I find a lot of joy in creating my classes. Yes, it may take more time than it would if I used ChatGPT but I'm not in a rush to create high-quality, custom lesson plans for my students. I specifically chose this career because I value quality over quantity, and because I love every moment I spend doing it.

A writer's voice, tone and even personality are reflected in their writing. I personally like my writing style. It sounds like me, and when I read back what I wrote I recognize it as myself. I think my students do, too. They would know if Ms. Astrid wrote this or had a program do it instead. Even if my writing isn't perfect or polished, I'd rather it be authentically me.

In addition, the ethics of using generative art is a concern for me as an artist and art teacher. Not only does AI art steal and plagiarize true artists, but it devalues the process of art for art's sake. Artists who use AI generators are only robbing themselves of the joy of creativity and the experience in discovering their talent. They forget that for an artist, art is not just about the finished product but the process of creation and self-expression. My students are encouraged to *be* the generator, not *use* one.

Setting an example to my students is important to me. I like to think that they might look up to me and value my instruction. Most of my students are middle & high school kids with VERY strong opinions about AI. They all boycotted and uninstalled Duolingo when they announced that they were using AI. They boo and hiss when they see a business using an AI generated logo or image. They taught me how to type -AI in my Google searches to filter out "the trash", as they say. They cheered at the news that OpenAI is allegedly headed for bankruptcy.

Regardless of how you might feel about AI, you know where *I* stand as an educator. I will never teach something that I don't want to teach and therefore will never be forced to rely on AI to do my job.

🚨 Big news! 📢

Mossflower Academy is now approved as a vendor through the Arkansas LEARNS program and can now accept funds through ClassWallet directly!

Most of my classes right now are taught via Outschool, but I plan to move some of them over to my own website soon. I will be adding some of my most popular online classes as well as some self-paced courses for many of the topics I've taught throughout the years including:

- Sewing & cosplay
- Poetry
- Watercolor art
- Art & dance history
- Classic literature
- Minecraft Education
- Anime & gaming clubs
..and more!

Stay tuned for more updates. I am excited to make my classes even more accessible for local kids in my community. 🍎 I'm also hoping to get other states approved as well, so if you're not local to Arkansas and would like to use your state funds to pay for my classes, please let me know and I'm happy to look into the application process.

Thank you all for your support over the years!

New openings in a brand-new section of my TTRPG class on Outschool! Join this 6-week course to learn how to play:

Coyote & Crow: An Indigenous Role Playing Game | Small Online Class for Ages 12-17 Curious about tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPG) but DnD just isn't your vibe? Coyote & Crow is a sci-fi and fantasy game set in a First Nations alternate future where colonization never happened. Let's roll!

Registration is open!

Teen K-Pop Dance Workshop (Ages 13–18) * Teens are invited to a dance workshop to learn a K-Pop routine!

Today in my Bungo Stray Dogs anime class, the kids studied Japanese author, Motojiro Kajii. In the anime series, his character is a villain who is immune to lemon-shaped bombs. Yes, you read that right. Bombs in the shape of lemons lol. 🍋 He is a maniac terrorist and of course has a very bleak outlook on society and life in general.

The author IRL wrote a short story called "Lemon", in which the main character is a young man living with a terminal illness. He buys a single lemon and it brings him the only joy he is able to muster for that day.

This is a short 5-min animation based on the short story, which became a sensation in Japan after Motojiro died at 31 years old of pulmonary tuberculosis, which has was diagnosed with in his early 20s. The story has become iconic in Japan, with book lovers leaving lemons in random bookstores. The bookstore mentioned in the short story is a real well-known bookstore in Japan, and they now have a permanent display in his honor, as well as a special lemon cake in their cafe.

My students really enjoyed this clip, and were truly moved by the story. It has a surprising ending and I'd love to hear what you think about it. 🍋

【自主制作アニメ】梶井基次郎「檸檬」 原作の短編小説は青空文庫で読めます。リンク→https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000074/files/424_19826.htmlTwitter→https://twitter.com/N_haruyoshiHP→https://haruyoshi-nagae.comSkeb→htt...

Registration opens Oct 1! I'm hosting an easy K-pop fitness dance for beginners ages 13-18 at the and would love to meet some other fans there. I'll also have some free K-Pop Demon Hunters merch there. Feel free to cosplay but be prepared to sweat lol! 🫠

Getting ready for the this weekend and I'm bringing the mushroom army! 🍄🍄🍄🍄