Looking up information about birds in the area
Day 56 was the beginning of the last full week of cycle four. It was the beginning of a very hopeful week, with perhaps two prospective Learners starting to shadow later in the week. We also entered into the week uncertain if we would be able to finish it, as it seemed we were quickly heading toward risk stage level five, which would require us to go fully remote. But before my week got started I needed to finish updating a document that I volunteered to work on for my Stanford Business School class about criminal justice reform. The goals of my writing were to make clear the central place racial justice should hold in efforts to address harms brought by the criminal justice system, and to emphasize that we did not need to limit ourselves only to reformist approaches to change, but that we could instead embrace abolitionist efforts that would not legitimize the violence of the status quo. After tinkering with the document much of Sunday and all Monday morning I sent it off, not knowing if my contributions would be appreciated by a more conservative leaning group than I’ve worked with in many years.
Learners occupying different levels of the Urban Assault Wall
With the writing done, I was able to shift my focus entirely toward Abrome. I waited for the remote cell Learners to join me on the morning call, and then began the meeting at 10a. Everyone was sitting at home in front of their computers nice and warm. I led the meeting with the question, what is one interesting thing that happened to you this weekend? One Learner said he rode his new Ebike around his neighborhood, while another said he learned how to ride a bike for the first time! Another Learner said she spent much of the week crocheting and another said she built a gingerbread house. We then moved into the Set-the-Week meeting where we planned out our offerings and check-ins for the week. No one proposed any new offerings so it was a pretty quick meeting. I anticipate more participation when the entire goes remote … assuming we go to stage level five in the next couple of weeks.
Facilitator Lauren with a young Learner
The in-person cell had a very different experience to start their day. Monday was cold, surprisingly so for some. One Learner counted his lucky stars that his mom insisted that he wear insulated pants instead of shorts. A really good call. Another Learner, who started the day off with a disagreement with his parents about how to dress that morning, learned first hand why we say "cotton kills" as he stepped into the Abrome day underdressed for the cold weather. Facilitator Lauren put a mylar blanket around him and they called his guardian to swing back around with some warm clothing so that he could make it through the morning.
Adolescent Learners finding time for conversation while a young Learner runs by below
The in-person morning meeting was quite short. They added in gratitudes for the article of clothing they most appreciated on that cold (for Texas) morning. Then they set intentions and had another discussion on dressing for the cold. After that, it was time for the remote meeting for in-person Learners who could not make it that day. The youngest of the in-person Learners was out that day because of dentist appointment so he jumped on Zoom with Facilitator Lauren. It was a fun and playful morning meeting as he jumped on his bed and giggled his way through the morning meeting. All in all a pretty happy demeanor considering he had gone to the dentist.
After the Learner who was underdressed was appropriately dressed and thawed out he joined two of the adolescent Learners at the Urban Assault Wall, which they had been intending to visit since day one of the cycle. It was certainly worth the long hike as the landscape was beautiful. Two younger Learners discovered a bunch of vulture feathers and bones, including talons, while they were exploring the area.
Investigating the remains of a vulture
On the hike they heard random people calling out one of the Learner’s names. It was a bit unsettling, until they noticed signs for a missing dog with that name! Then they came across the people calling out the dog’s name. Fortunately, later that day they came across the people with the dog they were looking for. The in-person cell ended the day talking about the possibility of going remote in the coming days.
Back at Abrome I had a nice Check-in and Chat with two Abrome families. We try to have a Check-in and Chat with each family every three months so that we can discuss how things are working for their Learner and their family, and so that both Facilitators and the guardians can raise awarenesses or concerns. We had hoped to check in with each family by the end of the cycle, and this day was a good start.
Because no one was coming to my offerings I was also able to squeeze in a call with a family that inquired about enrollment for a 4-year-old girl for January 2022. Then the day came to an end. While waiting for Learners to show up for the afternoon roundup one of the Learners asked me to quickly solve the Rubik’s cube. This was after telling me that morning that she was going to order one. I would not mind having a little Rubik’s cube club here at Abrome. Another Learner led the afternoon meeting and used rose-bud-thorn as a prompt for folks to reflect on their day. It was a nice warm day for the folks in the remote cell.