5 updates
1. Daniel (the dog) has quite an affection for my footwear. It started with my slippers and he's graduated to fuzzy boots. I don't mind- it's more funny and at times annoying when I am missing a shoe. He carries them around, lays with them and often sleeps on them. Sweet.
2. It will definitely freeze tonight, so the hoses have been unscrewed, the bird bath emptied and the hummingbird food brought in. There is something about freezing weather that makes me think of stillness and holding a big breath... perhaps because around here freezing weather most often comes between storms.
3. I finished the Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/skin/kcls/xml/rdetail.xml?r=852133&t=the%20particular%20sadness%20of%20lemon%20cake&tp=keyword&d=0&hc=4&rt=keyword&s=pubdate&sd=desc last week and I recommend it. It is the kind of book you need to take into a quiet space to finish because you want each word to fall on you gently until the end. It is a character driven novel with creative/magical means of speaking to the process of one life and, in that one life, something in us all. I was surprised by the many twists towards the end and honestly lost sleep! I couldn't put it down or would turn the light back on just wanting to know what next. The book is about a girl who can sense the feelings of those she loves in the food they bake and is told from her perspective from childhood to adulthood.
4. I recently purchased Mark Bittman's new cookbook http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/skin/kcls/xml/rdetail.xml?r=819726&t=mark%20bittman&tp=keyword&d=0&hc=30&rt=keyword&s=pubdate&sd=desc while on a holiday shopping trip. It's the first cookbook I've found that emphasizes whole, local foods with meat as a GARNISH rather than a main food. I would like to switch my family back to a less regular meat menu. I did this for myself a while ago and felt great, so what happened to that? Never too late to try again.
5. I visited the Evergreen School in Shoreline on Friday. http://www.evergreenschool.org/ It is hard not to be in love with such vast resources and such a well-informed approach to education. A few highlights: Their buildings are built green and they aim to have zero carbon footprint. The kids study abroad in a non-western country in 8th grade. There is intensive language immersion from 1st grade forward in one language. The kids engage in and lead environmental stewardship projects. Kids can lie on the floor, stand at the counter or walk in circles while learning as they find best for them. The rooms are filled with awesome technology, Smart Boards and the kids are assigned a laptop in 4th grade. They don't assign homework on the weekends and try to assign minimal during the week. They believe school should happen at school and kids should not be overscheduled. They have a (oh Finn would scream with excitement) a MUSICAL THEATER! Oh my boy was born for musical theater! I like the idea of many of his extracurricular interests, such as drama and singing, being met during school hours. It seems the school (and supposedly the parents) are doing all that they can to minimize competitive behavior and preserve some innocence among the children. There are no grades and the classes are all inquiry-based and child-led. In other words, the kids come up with an interest and the teacher looks for the opportunity for learning rather than the reverse.
My hesitations of the school have very little to do with the school itself and more to do with private school in general and "gifted" education. First, the school is gorgeous... it looks like a micro version of my college campus... for elementary and middle school kids? If I could buy Finn a lifetime of wellness and fulfillment, I would do it. It's hard to say "no" to a wealth of resources before you... and maybe even harder to see when those resources could have a negative impact (see my last post regarding learning when to do nothing). One of the teachers told me the kids feel a lot of pressure and learn to manage their stress. The school says the pressure is largely child-driven and they do their best to address it. They say it is inherent to a community such as theirs... it could be, but aren't I then signing Finn up for a life of this unstated competition? The idea of private school clashes with my socialist, equal education mentality. On the other hand, I'm frustrated with the education system in the United States and want something that is more reflective of modern neuroscience and child development. I am undoubtedly privileged to even have an option and it gives me nervous ticks... well, more accurately hives. I broke out after the tour on Friday due to anxiety and stress (excitement?).
Finally, a big part of me feels like everyone is "gifted" in some way and that skimming the pond for a child that meets certain criteria we deem important at present is a way of social engineering. By in large, it takes privileged kids and offers those kids more privileges. We are enforcing that these particular qualities are valuable and others are not. I realize the school is very sensitive to creative expression and blending the arts, so maybe I'm being too sensitive. I suppose it feels like buying my child an ice cream when the kids around him haven't eaten yet today. Am I making sense to anyone? Sigh. I'm so confused.
2. It will definitely freeze tonight, so the hoses have been unscrewed, the bird bath emptied and the hummingbird food brought in. There is something about freezing weather that makes me think of stillness and holding a big breath... perhaps because around here freezing weather most often comes between storms.
3. I finished the Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/skin/kcls/xml/rdetail.xml?r=852133&t=the%20particular%20sadness%20of%20lemon%20cake&tp=keyword&d=0&hc=4&rt=keyword&s=pubdate&sd=desc last week and I recommend it. It is the kind of book you need to take into a quiet space to finish because you want each word to fall on you gently until the end. It is a character driven novel with creative/magical means of speaking to the process of one life and, in that one life, something in us all. I was surprised by the many twists towards the end and honestly lost sleep! I couldn't put it down or would turn the light back on just wanting to know what next. The book is about a girl who can sense the feelings of those she loves in the food they bake and is told from her perspective from childhood to adulthood.
4. I recently purchased Mark Bittman's new cookbook http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/skin/kcls/xml/rdetail.xml?r=819726&t=mark%20bittman&tp=keyword&d=0&hc=30&rt=keyword&s=pubdate&sd=desc while on a holiday shopping trip. It's the first cookbook I've found that emphasizes whole, local foods with meat as a GARNISH rather than a main food. I would like to switch my family back to a less regular meat menu. I did this for myself a while ago and felt great, so what happened to that? Never too late to try again.
5. I visited the Evergreen School in Shoreline on Friday. http://www.evergreenschool.org/ It is hard not to be in love with such vast resources and such a well-informed approach to education. A few highlights: Their buildings are built green and they aim to have zero carbon footprint. The kids study abroad in a non-western country in 8th grade. There is intensive language immersion from 1st grade forward in one language. The kids engage in and lead environmental stewardship projects. Kids can lie on the floor, stand at the counter or walk in circles while learning as they find best for them. The rooms are filled with awesome technology, Smart Boards and the kids are assigned a laptop in 4th grade. They don't assign homework on the weekends and try to assign minimal during the week. They believe school should happen at school and kids should not be overscheduled. They have a (oh Finn would scream with excitement) a MUSICAL THEATER! Oh my boy was born for musical theater! I like the idea of many of his extracurricular interests, such as drama and singing, being met during school hours. It seems the school (and supposedly the parents) are doing all that they can to minimize competitive behavior and preserve some innocence among the children. There are no grades and the classes are all inquiry-based and child-led. In other words, the kids come up with an interest and the teacher looks for the opportunity for learning rather than the reverse.
My hesitations of the school have very little to do with the school itself and more to do with private school in general and "gifted" education. First, the school is gorgeous... it looks like a micro version of my college campus... for elementary and middle school kids? If I could buy Finn a lifetime of wellness and fulfillment, I would do it. It's hard to say "no" to a wealth of resources before you... and maybe even harder to see when those resources could have a negative impact (see my last post regarding learning when to do nothing). One of the teachers told me the kids feel a lot of pressure and learn to manage their stress. The school says the pressure is largely child-driven and they do their best to address it. They say it is inherent to a community such as theirs... it could be, but aren't I then signing Finn up for a life of this unstated competition? The idea of private school clashes with my socialist, equal education mentality. On the other hand, I'm frustrated with the education system in the United States and want something that is more reflective of modern neuroscience and child development. I am undoubtedly privileged to even have an option and it gives me nervous ticks... well, more accurately hives. I broke out after the tour on Friday due to anxiety and stress (excitement?).
Finally, a big part of me feels like everyone is "gifted" in some way and that skimming the pond for a child that meets certain criteria we deem important at present is a way of social engineering. By in large, it takes privileged kids and offers those kids more privileges. We are enforcing that these particular qualities are valuable and others are not. I realize the school is very sensitive to creative expression and blending the arts, so maybe I'm being too sensitive. I suppose it feels like buying my child an ice cream when the kids around him haven't eaten yet today. Am I making sense to anyone? Sigh. I'm so confused.