Some memories from Hope Island...
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
10/9
Dear friends and families,
As the leaves are turning, the seventh grade class is turning toward the meat of the school year. We will enter into this winter time with an adventurous field trip to Hope Island on Thursday the 14th and Fri. the 15th. The class has been off to a healthy start and they deserve a trip together. There will be learning opportunities as I ask them to be involved in the set up/take down and meals. I also want them to come up with ways that they can practice being together consciously. By this I will ask that they are inclusive of their classmates in their activities; not only their close friends. I think this is also a good opportunity for the class to create memories together as a newly constituted group of individuals. They still talk about how much they enjoyed the camping trip to Mt. St. Helens last year.
Our studies have taken us to the near east. Constantinople and the Byzantine empire have rounded out an introduction to the middle ages when Christianity altered the cultural landscape of the empire. We discussed the crusades and the idea of a religiously sanctioned war. At this point, one student asked "why are we studying this stuff anyways?" We discussed the fact that many religions have the same "holy land" and how we continue to try to recon conflicting religious and cultural wars. A local woman who grew up in Egypt, Israel, and Istanbul came to talk about her first hand account of the beauty and strife that color these places. For many of the students, this global awakening was very new and foreign.
In our artistic works, we began drawing still lifes. This was a challenging exercise in really looking at objects and drawing what we see, not what we think. We all know what an egg looks like; right? But how often do we stop to look at the shadow that it is casting and how the yolk glows on the bottom of the egg, or how beautiful grey tones can be? These exercises can support their ability to be in touch with the "real" world which they often express a desire to be a part of. I see the wonderful artistic work that they have been doing as signs of their growth and development. Come to the class and see for yourself.
effects of an egg toss
easy does it...
As the leaves are turning, the seventh grade class is turning toward the meat of the school year. We will enter into this winter time with an adventurous field trip to Hope Island on Thursday the 14th and Fri. the 15th. The class has been off to a healthy start and they deserve a trip together. There will be learning opportunities as I ask them to be involved in the set up/take down and meals. I also want them to come up with ways that they can practice being together consciously. By this I will ask that they are inclusive of their classmates in their activities; not only their close friends. I think this is also a good opportunity for the class to create memories together as a newly constituted group of individuals. They still talk about how much they enjoyed the camping trip to Mt. St. Helens last year.
Our studies have taken us to the near east. Constantinople and the Byzantine empire have rounded out an introduction to the middle ages when Christianity altered the cultural landscape of the empire. We discussed the crusades and the idea of a religiously sanctioned war. At this point, one student asked "why are we studying this stuff anyways?" We discussed the fact that many religions have the same "holy land" and how we continue to try to recon conflicting religious and cultural wars. A local woman who grew up in Egypt, Israel, and Istanbul came to talk about her first hand account of the beauty and strife that color these places. For many of the students, this global awakening was very new and foreign.
In our artistic works, we began drawing still lifes. This was a challenging exercise in really looking at objects and drawing what we see, not what we think. We all know what an egg looks like; right? But how often do we stop to look at the shadow that it is casting and how the yolk glows on the bottom of the egg, or how beautiful grey tones can be? These exercises can support their ability to be in touch with the "real" world which they often express a desire to be a part of. I see the wonderful artistic work that they have been doing as signs of their growth and development. Come to the class and see for yourself.
effects of an egg toss
easy does it...
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