Before you read on, how well do you know Keren and her family? Take our quiz to find out!
Q&A with Keren Dor
Q: Tell us about your family and connection to Watershed School.
Keren Dor: I have 3 children, a girl and two boys. Both boys attend Watershed and my daughter is a college student who homeschooled for 12 years. Liran is a senior, Ari a sophomore and this is our 6th year being part of the Watershed family!
Q: Why did you elect to send your kids to Watershed?
KD: We discovered Watershed when Liran announced he wanted to stop homeschooling and attend a ‘real’ school the summer before 7th grade. I knew that if he was going to go to school it had to have a heart and soul and care more about the students as human beings than grade producing machines. I wanted a school for him that felt like a caring and supportive homeschooling environment. Enter: Watershed! I knew the minute we set foot in the school that it was the right place. And so, our journey began.
Q: Tell us something you are particularly proud of your children for?
KD: I am particularly proud of the human beings they have blossomed into, on every level. They are good humans and to me, that’s what matters most. I am also proud that they are able to see and have come to value who they are and take pride in themselves!
Q: What does it mean to be a Parent Ambassador at Watershed?
KD: To me being a Parent Ambassador means sharing the breadth and depth of what a Watershed experience is and how much it has to offer with as many people as possible. It means taking pride in and representing who we are as a community and what our priorities are in the world. Big and small.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Watershed?
KD: My favorite thing about Watershed is the focus on relationships. Cultivating authentic and meaningful connections among the students AND between the students, teachers and staff is a crucial part of our community and our kids thrive in every department thanks to them.
Q: What do you think your children would say their favorite thing about Watershed is?
KD: Field studies and travel experiences are definitely number one but their relationships and connections are a close second!
Q: How would you describe the staff at Watershed?
KD: Caring, supportive, interested, involved, motivated, original, passionate. People who truly love what they do and the people they get to do it with.
Q: How would you describe Watershed to the parents of prospective students?
KD: Watershed is a place to get an outstanding, well rounded, real-world (as opposed to ‘textbook’) education while maintaining your student’s individuality and humanity.
Q: How have you and your family navigated the pandemic? Anything you’ve learned about your children or family in the process?
KD: Between being extremely sick, recovering over a long period of time and trying to get back to some kind of normal, it has definitely been quite the ride! I learned that my boys really know how to step up to the plate when needed and that they can truly be counted on to take care of people and things even while still staying on top of their own responsibilities. There’s been a great deal of growing up over the past 7 months!
Q: How are you keeping things fun and positive for your family during this weird time?
KD: We are trying to let the kids consistently see 1 or 2 of their close friends on a regular basis with certain restrictions in place. While it’s unfortunate we have to limit them at all, we do what we can to provide some semblance of a teen social life depending on the area’s COVID restrictions. When we were in total lockdown during the spring (and after we recovered) there was A LOT of cooking, baking and eating LOL!
Q: Anything else you want to share?!
KD: I would not trade anything for the Watershed education my kids have received and continue to receive. It has been life changing in every way for all of us. We know these are truly our kid’s most formative years, even more so than college. Personally, I’d rather invest in and get support now with raising, growing and developing my good humans instead of waiting for later.
