10/2

While the Autumnal mood and weather are setting in here in Olympia, we were able to enjoy a last flicker of summer on our class field trip.  The trip began by going directly to the Yakima River to float about 10 miles of the canyon with black cliffs and golden hills.  It was a very social time where the two boats were together for much of the trip.  The converssatin ebbed and flowed as the boats glided around the bends of the river.  Some students jumped into the cold waters and Mr. Hand was the only one to fall in.  It was a great time to relax in the sunshine and enjoy the company.  That evening, we carried our gear over a foot bridge into a campground that was closed to cars for the season (it was known by the Forest Service that we would use this campground).  It was a treat to have the whole place to ourselves.   We quickly spread out to steak our claims.  While some of the boys were throwing rocks at a hornets nest (and being reprimanded by their teacher), the girls were nesting under a large picnic shelter known as "The Castle."  The girls were collecting wood for the hearth of their new home with pride and tenacity.

After a very frigid night, the students found a secluded place to quietly reflect upon some of their goals for the year.  Some remarked how nice it was to have the tranquil sounds of the stream in the background as they wrote. 

During the afternoon, the class went to Central Washington University.  Here, we walked around the campus and had dinner at the student union.  It was a good time for the students to imagine themselves in the position of being a college bound student.   





 In the evening, we attended an upper division physics class that dealt with optics and calculus.  The professor was a very dynamic speaker.  He was asking the "Waldorf kids" questions and asking them to look at light that shone through different gasses.  Most students had the courage to venture a question in the large class and it was great to hear the professor shout with enthusiasm! 

After sitting through an hour and a half lecture, we were able to go up on the roof of the science building and look at a super nova, the moons of Jupiter, shooting stars and other cosmic wonders.  Students and professors guided us in our gazing and were very kind to us.   



After a full evening, we returned to the campground.  The following day we wrote some more in our journals and packed up camp.  There were many lessons learned that will be helpful for the end of the year trip.  It was a great social trip for the class and it was a joy to be around them.  Over and above the small challenges they have with each other, they enjoy being around one another.  There is no hiding on these trips and their true colors were coming through.  Thank you all who made this trip possible, especially John and Sharon!

9/25/11

          “Anyone who uses words, speaks – consciously or tacitly – on the basis of the assumption, even the certainty, that “I am” and “you are,” and that truth – knowing- exists.  To speak necessarily involves speaking to someone.  There are no monologues.  All monologues that we know about are basically dialogues.  Whoever engages in a monologue has previously spoken with other speaking beings.  When the loneliest person speaks at least one other is present.  No one speaks for himself alone.  Even the primordial monologue of the Creator immediately turned into a dialogue – even before it was uttered.  The Other, the second was present in the seed of the primal Word:  He was it (John 1.1-3).  Therefore the Word is truly the primal beginning.  As soon as something moves, to do something or to “think,” the Word is already there, and with it the beginning.  Even before it appears outwardly, before even (relative) outwardness exists, the Word is already there, before… before…
          When I speak to someone – in my ability to do so – I become, I am.  And you – for you I am, and for me you are.  The word blossoms between us: cognition, communication, the Logos.”

- Georg Kulewind

This blossoming of words between people is something that I hope to witness this year.  In eighth grade, we will be writing in our journals at the beginning of main lesson each day.  This monologue or “dialogue” can be a breathing space; a moment of calm in a busy day. 

6/1

Dear Family and Friends,

At the eighth grade graduation, the faculty sang the following words by Graham Nash; "Teach your parents well... And feed them on your dreams... and know they love you." This sentiment supports a picture from our recent camping trip to Cape Disappointment. The trip gave a beautiful picture of the emerging teenager as their inner world is hearing the call to change and grow.

Despite the driving wind and rain, our seventh graders were pleased as ducks in a pond to take their shoes off and play in the foamy shoreline. They ran with joy to the edge of the solid world, facing thousands of miles of storms and deep waters. The great unknown awaits. Facing this threshold, they did exactly what healthy teenagers do; test that boundary. They hauled heavy rounds and logs to the shore break to set up makeshift piers to stand on. Arm in arm they stood, facing the approaching freezing waters.

From great distances, the waves made their final motion upon the shores. The patchwork piers of the students often kept them triumphantly above the water. With swelling confidence, they could quickly move the logs further out toward the waves. The boundary continues to move and the children continue to grow. At times, the structures that hold them up fail and they are sent running toward the shore where safety and loving adults await. Screams and laughter were the music of this "play" on this beach where the mighty Columbia River dances with the great Pacific Ocean.

The chaperones and I marveled at how harmonious and joyful the students were. It was said by another chaperone that "I am sure there is a lot of learning going on here, but I don't know exactly what it is." I recon there was learning taking place among the students, but I think there was more learning taking place in me as an adult, witnessing a precious moment in time. These growing people were able to let their guard down and just "BE." I think that their being comfortable to be themselves in a healthy situation, pushing boundaries, is exactly what they should be doing. Their capacity to just "be" was awe inspiring and I felt very lucky to share in this experience.   

3/13

2/24

Dear friends of seventh grade,

Winter has returned to the North West as a soft blanket of snow wraps itself on the ground.  These moments call for us to look with wide eyes at the world around us.  This looking is like the sound that accompanies a quick breath in; a harmonious movement just before the release of a cloud of swirling vapor.  Falling snow, our breath and the pulsing ocean all reveal unique qualities of water that have been a part of our chemistry exploration.  The way water moves, is heated, and its role in the human body have been topics that we have been illuminating.  In addition, the role that salt plays in the world and in our body has given us a picture of balance that the wisdom of our human form perpetually works with.  Why is salt from the store white?  If salt comes from the sea, then why are there “salt domes” on land?  These questions and more have led us on a creative path of knowledge and discovery in the chemistry block.  This path has shown us that chemistry does not just happen in a laboratory with scientists and elaborate equipment.  Chemistry encompasses the building blocks of life and these same elements that are in me, are in you and all other living organisms in the known universe.

In other news, the play practice of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory brings an atmosphere of levity and movement into the classroom.  Students seem to revel in the joy of laughter and play that balances the other areas of intense academic striving. 

Our upcoming block will be a hands on and artistic look at algebra.  We will jump into the history of secret brotherhoods that saw math as an expression of the world of thought.  We will construct tools, try out proofs of theorems from different cultures and express the visual beauty that numbers symbolize.  The intent is to introduce these topics so that students will become curious and confident learners as they delve into the unknown.   

2/13

Dear Friends,

In seventh grade, we are mixing and awakening to chemistry in our current block.  The elements of combustion have been illuminated by Dale Heidal and his experience with fire science.  There were some exciting moments when gas was lit and the flames were high.  We were able to relate the process of fire and oxidation with our own digestive system.  We can also relate to the carbon cycle as we wrote poetry to trace the journey of a carbon atom that has become part of our body.  The students wrote about epic sweeps of time and space to illustrate the movement of a single carbon atom through the elements of solid, liquid, gas and fire.  The important connection is being drawn between the elements and atoms that we share with every other living organism.  The polarities of acids and bases in the pH scale are being explored as the students are also exploring their own relationships and polar tendencies.  Chemical reactions are also reflected in different personality types coming together.  These processes of acids and bases are constantly finding a dynamic balance in our own bodies as we also live between the forces of life and death.    

The students also continued to explore the somewhat hidden realm of what ingredients are in our food.  Brian Gregory invited us into his home to roast, and taste some coffee.  We talked about the importance of the connection to the places where the beans are produced and processed.  In addition, their poster projects are currently presented in the middle school foyer. There is a good balance of artistic work and scientific exploration to uncover where ingredients come from.  The ability to uncover seemingly complex terms and chemicals showed a real maturity in their ability to teach themselves.  There is a motion toward seeking truth rather than having a passive attitude toward what the world presents us.  This is the mood of an artist who is actively observing the world which is so often taken for granted.  Through this study and through honing their senses, the students are developing skills that will allow them to adapt to the rapidly changing world of tomorrow. 

-Keenan Hand 



1/9/11

Dear friends,

The seventh grade is coming to a critical part of the grand journey that sweeps from the Animal Kingdom, to the Plant Kingdom, to the Mineral Kingdom to the mysterious realm of the Human.  The workings of the human physical body are familiar and hidden at the same time.  For example, we all eat and digest food every day, but how often do we stop to think about the transformation that food goes through?  While demonstrating understanding of basic anatomy, the students have written humorous accounts of food passing through the digestive organs.  We will take this a step further by considering the social value of food and by expanding our ideas of nutrition. 

The physical body is a good starting point for many issues of self awareness.  The study of the reproductive systems have given us the precious opportunity to talk to explore our own births and how we came to be in our families.  Relationships have also been a topic of discussion.  We have focused on what it can mean to be a good friend.  The students were able to verbalize what a balanced relationship is like and we related this to other kinds of relationships.  This and other subjects that are of a personal nature have offered many opportunities for maturity and inner growth on their part.  I have been extremely proud of the way that the students have handled themselves in a classroom environment with heightened sensitivities.