Day 112 of AY20-21: listening to Learners

Tuesday, March 30th would be day 7 of cycle 8 for the Flying Squad, and day 112 of the pandacademic year. It would also be the first day we had two more Learners return from quarantine, which promised to make our day even better! As of day 112, we only had one Learner still out for quarantine and he was expected to return on Wednesday.

As they Learners began to show up they got right into hanging out with each other and connecting in ways that are difficult to do online. The Learners and Facilitator Ariel were busy practicing snapping their fingers, and teaching one another how to snap fingers, as I reminded folks that we needed to drink water.

At 10:00 a.m., we circled up for our morning meeting. Each meeting the Facilitators come with prompts, and sometimes we strike out with the prompts. On this day, Facilitator Ariel asked, what’s something non-food related that brought you joy this cycle? And how can we share that joy with others? Sometimes we ask these questions to spur great conversation, to provide us an opportunity to set intentions or to reflect, or as a way to center the needs of others. Sometimes they are just playful. The Learners were not really having the prompts on this day though, as the responses were pretty curt: sleep, filling trash bags, drinking water, drinking water, staying home (!), watching a guy play a ukulele and guitar, and laying in a hammock. The ways in which they could share that joy with others was even more curt, as three Learners said they couldn’t think of a way to share. We ended the meeting hoping that the day would be a bit more creative.

In attempt to avoid coming across food trucks early in the day, which tend to derail the intentions of some Learners, we decided to go in the opposite direction for a change. Walking south instead of east we found a trail that would have potentially taken us all the way to the Barton Creek Greenbelt (maybe not). We ended up taking a small detour down a poison ivy lined animal path that came out in a dry river bed. We could not pass up the opportunity to play on the rocks and then get a killer picture that would become our next album cover. When we were finished we walked down a back road away from Barton Springs Pool, up a hill, and onto a disc golf course.

One of the Learners was really struggling on the walk, not because of the walking but because of allergies. His eyes were puffed up and he kept rubbing his eyes. We contacted his family, and they decided that they would come pick him up. In addition to that Learner, Facilitator Ariel and another Learner were really struggling with the high pollen count in the air that morning. But before he went home we got to play some soccer! I had picked up a soccer ball the night before, and plan to bring the ball with me on a regular basis moving forward. The Learner who planned to go home found time to introduce me to the intense sport of animal style soccer before he left. All the Learners eventually joined in on kicking the soccer ball around, except for one, but he found time to throw the football around.

After the Learner who was suffering from allergies left, I became a one-person audience for a Learner who wanted to share everything he knew about the video game Among Us. He told me about the new map that was coming out, what changes to the game would come with the new map, the different ways that characters could die in the movie, and then he got frustrated as I asked questions that were perhaps too obvious to him. I’m not particularly moved by video games, but I felt it was important on this day to entertain the conversation for the Learner.

Having taken the new route away from the drop off point allowed us as a group to avoid ruminating on food, which was a welcome break for the Facilitators. I also got to talk quite a bit with one of the Learners who had just come off of quarantine. I probably spoke with her more that afternoon than I had in the previous month combined. Her lunch got crushed in her bag earlier in the day so she decided that she would try out one of the food trucks that some of the other Learners could not stop talking about. But she was the only one willing to make the walk to the food trucks that afternoon, so it was just us walking, which allowed me to give her my full attention. It’s really easy for us as Facilitators (or educators or parents or even just as friends) to get so wrapped up in all the work we need to do that we forget to make time to just listen to people. And oftentimes the people who need to be listened to the most are the ones with the least power in our society. This includes kids.

While it was a fun day, for the old men of the squad, it was not the easiest day. My calf began cramping (drink water!!) and Facilitator Ariel’s knee started bothering him. We both made it through the day, though, and we finished up with a more engaging afternoon roundup. We reflected on our day via the rose-bud-thorn prompt, and then discussed ways in which we could improve upon the thorns in the future. After the Learners left, I jumped on our daily Facilitator roundup call with Facilitators Lauren and Ariel, and we identified what went well, what challenges we had and what areas for improvement there were, and action items for each of us. Facilitator Lauren said she had a really good day that included hiking, waterfalls, and ducks. Then we all said good bye to each other for the night, and I made my way to the lake for my monthly jump in the lake.

Day 111 of AY20-21: lots of social justice conversations

I’m going to try to catch up on the daily blog posts between now and the end of cycle 9, which runs from April 19th to May 11th. I fell behind as things had gotten quite busy with the latest info session and more people becoming interested in going through the admissions process at Abrome, and the age-old problem of thinking that if you’re already behind you can just throw another delayed blog post to the pile.

Monday, March 29th would be our last day before people started coming back from quarantine in the specialty cell that I was in with Facilitator Ariel, the Flying Squad. I wanted to start the week strong with the few who were not in quarantine, so I asked the group what was interfering with our ability to focus on social justice. The answers included that our drop off point was too far west, that some were uninterested, that some were distracted by food, and that some were too focused on spending money. On this day we committed to supporting a Learner’s focus on houselessness, a big issue in Austin right now as there is a campaign to criminalize the houseless. We agreed to walk to a mural of Wonder Woman in downtown Austin that was across the street from an encampment, so that the Learner could hand out cliff bars and water to the houseless and engage with them about some of the challenges that they are facing. We agreed that we would stop by some food trucks to appease the fixation that some Learners had on buying food (that they cannot easily get at home).

One of the Learners who had been wearing hiking boots had been struggling as of late, and we were thrilled to see that he got a new pair of sneakers, which he later reported made his walking experience much more comfortable. With better shoes we were all comfortable taking a different path in search of new experiences. As we walked there was lots of conversation about social justice oriented concerns. Two of the Learners had made comments about how they were uncomfortable around the houseless, so Facilitator Ariel asked them to talk about their fears. This led them to discussing what type of prejudices are common in society, and how such prejudices can infect us.

Meanwhile, on the walk I got to speak with the Learner who was on a mission to learn more about how she could impact the issue of houselessness. She admitted that she did not know how to talk to houseless folks, and worried that she would not be able to talk to them in a way that made them feel comfortable. I suggested that she talk to them as she would anyone that she was meeting on the street for the first time, and then we talked about strategies to do so. Fortunately she brought food and drinks that she could offer folks which would serve as a potential segue into a conversation between two people who are curious about one another. I also brought up my concerns about coming across as someone who is probing people for information, with the assumption that they can solve their problems. Specifically, we talked about the notion of white saviorism, and how that could potentially play into such interactions. The Learner was quite nervous, but eager to consider ways of being that would prevent her from unknowingly doing harm.

When we got to the Wonder Woman mural we took a break to drink water while the Learner who was leading the way prepared to engage with the folks at the encampment. I was really impressed with the way that the Learner acknowledged her fear, and then made her way into the encampment offering support and looking for conversation. Unfortunately for her, it was the middle of the day and hot, so a lot of folks were not available to speak with her. Nonetheless, she engaged with some houseless folks. The two other Learners who had admitted to being uncomfortable around the houseless observed her efforts, and it was nice to see their perceptions challenged.

Then we walked across the Congress Street bridge where we came up on one of the large office buildings, where I noticed a bunch of studs that were placed on the marble that ran along long rows of raised plant beds. I asked the Learners if they knew why the studs were added to the marble, assuming that it was to prevent houseless folks from laying down, which would have been quite topical given the mission for the day. A Learner guessed that it was to prevent skateboarders from using it, and I replied, “actually …” and went into an explanation of what hostile architecture (or anti-homeless architecture) is. Facilitator Ariel then interjected and said that actually that particular type of stud is meant to prevent skateboarders from using it, and then we talked about the differences between anti-skateboard architecture and hostile architecture. It was a really good moment for me to model to a Learner that it was okay to be wrong, and to learn from it.

As we continued to walk, one of the Learners asked me if I was excited about the Godzilla vs. Kong movie that was coming out. I told him I was uninterested in watching any King Kong movies as they were rooted in anti-Black racism. This caught the Learner off-guard, and he explained that his desire to watch the movie had nothing to do with racism, and then he began to talk about how great the movie was going to be. I acknowledged that his interest in the movie was not rooted in racism, but that the movie was, and that I was willing to talk to him about why they are racist. But that I was not interested in talking to him about his arguments for why he would watch the movie in spite of their racist history. He then took the conversation to Facilitator Ariel, who likewise told him that he was not interested in talking about the movie. The day was shaping up to be one that really challenged this Learner’s beliefs.

We continued to walk in support of a Learner’s mission to engage with the houseless, and we focused on walking toward the Arch near 7th and Red River. As we were walking an individual began walking with us, trying to engage with us. One Learner asked, ‘why was the homeless guy trying to talk to us,’ and we asked him why he assume the person was houseless. This led to another conversation about prejudices and assumptions.

After we stopped so the Learner could hand out some more water and cliff bars, we decided that it was time for the Learner and Facilitator Ariel to get some long overdue lunch. We made our way back to Congress so that we could stop at a convenience store where they could grab food. When we arrived, however, there were a handful of Austin Police Officers standing around. All the Learners wanted to go in, so I offered to watch over their bags at some tables reserved for customers of the store. Facilitator Ariel recognizing that I would be out there around APD cops asked me if I would be alright, which one of the Learners picked up on. Facilitator Ariel then explained to her why he asked that given my past experiences with the Austin Police Department, and the need for us all to be watching out for one another.

After Facilitator Ariel and the Learner got some food, and another Learner got himself some seaweed and a drink, we settled in to eat our lunches. I ate a sandwich that I had packed in my bag, while another Learner ate from a bag of chips that he had brought along. It was restful sitting there and eating and talking with one another in the shade, and we were in no hurry to get going. When we finally finished and as we were packing up, Facilitator Ariel got a call from a friend who wanted him to know that they were at the sight of a protest where people were getting arrested. We were only two and a half blocks away, so we decided to walk in that direction.

When we arrived at protest site at 4th and Congress, where Garrett Foster, a supporter of Black Lives Matter, was killed the past summer, we noticed that police had shut down the street and surrounded the group of protesters who were yelling at them. We later found that the police had come up on the protest and threatened to arrest the protesters, to include Garrett’s finance, Whitney, a Black woman and quadriplegic who was with Garrett when he was killed the prior summer. Two white women then positioned themselves between the police and Whitney, which led to the police arresting one of the women, shoving the other woman out of the road, and dumping Whitney out of her wheelchair into the gutter. Understandably, the protesters were outraged by the actions of the police, and from a safe distance I was able to talk to the Learners about what had happened and why the police were so antagonistic toward these protesters in particular.

As the police relocated away from the protesters, and as the protest died down, we began to walk back toward the pick-up point at Zilker Park. During the walk one of the younger Learners expressed how concerned he was for Facilitator Ariel during the incident, and how he wanted him to avoid the police so that he would not be arrested. Facilitator Ariel explained to the Learner that as a Black man he does not get the luxury of just avoiding the police in Austin, but that he would do his best to not engage with them. It was a heavy day for the Learners, as we had several extended conversations about houselessness, racism, and police brutality.

Because of the unexpected stop at the protest site, we really needed to move. While one of the Learners no longer needed to stop at the food truck because he ate at the convenience store, one of the Learners still hadn’t been able to get any food, and that was his main objective for the day. Facilitator Ariel agreed to jog with him to P. Terry’s while the rest of us would go straight to the pickup point. Our path took us by Trader Joe’s, where the Learner had previously gotten boxes of organic jelly beans, and asked if we could stop in to buy some more. I reminded him that he agreed to go straight back, and that he agreed to keep walking. We made such good time that we were able to spin around some bars along the river, and got back to the pick up point with time to spare.

Once Facilitator Ariel and the other Learner joined us we settled in for a great afternoon roundup. We noted that each of us had walked 6.2-7.2 miles that day, and we were able to really dive into some social justice topics. All in all, it was a really great day for us as a Flying Squad.

Meanwhile, at the other cell:

Day 110 of AY20-21: stumbling into learning

March 28th was Day 110 of the pandacademic year, and it was the final day of our first week of cycle 8. We had a good week up to that point, although Learners being out due to quarantines and the fixation on seeking out destinations that we could spend money on food instead of engaging in social justice oriented activities was frustrating. But those struggles were outweighed by the positives of being together in the city again, with plenty of sun and good weather, lots of walking, and a some really great conversations.

The day was supposed to be a biking day for some, but the Learners who were going to bring bikes forgot to bring them, so Facilitator Ariel threw his bike in Antonio’s vehicle and we went into the morning meeting. A Learner and Facilitator Ariel both threw out prompts for the morning meeting. For the first prompt we each described a fruit without saying what its name was, while the rest of us tried to guess what it was. The fruits were green apple, grape, banana, tomato, and honeydew. What was really great about that prompt/game was that each of us successfully guessed one of the fruits.

Because it was Friday we went into our Check-in and Change-up meetings after the morning meeting. Three folks raised a total of six awarenesses in the Check-in, and during the Change-up we selected five that we wanted to focus on for the coming week. We keep the number of awarenesses that we put on the Community Awareness Board limited to five so that we can keep each one top of mind as we work toward shifting our culture, because if we had too many awarenesses we would become overwhelmed. The awarenesses included people ruminating on food/treats; dehydration; mindfulness about ourselves, nature, and the environment; taking into account the needs of others; and making assumptions about what others know. For each of the five awarenesses we came up with two or three practices that we would try out for a week to see if we could address the awarenesses we raised.

After the morning meeting we set off. We agreed to hit some food places on our way to the little green spot next to a pond that we found the day prior. I agreed to stop at a food truck so a younger Learner could get some Thai ice cream while the rest of the crew went to a corner store (coffee) and a fast food place (milkshake). When I got to the food truck with the younger Learner we found that it was closed, and according to the sign they would be closed for an hour. The Learner took it in stride and asked to go to a food truck that sold gelato, but we found that closed, as well. The Learner really wanted ice cream so I looked for nearby places that sold ice cream and we finally found one on South Lamar, but it was a 15 minute walk and uphill. He said that he wanted to do that, so I checked in with the others and asked them if it was okay to meet them at the park after we went to the ice cream shop. They said that would be fine, and we trekked to the shop.

When we arrived at the shop we took our time going through the options and debating how many scoops and toppings would feel good. As he was deciding I was surprised to see the rest of the crew come on scene. They set up in a sally port next to the shop, and began to eat lunch or snacks. When the ice cream was delivered I broke out my lunch to eat. Then we all began talking about a wide variety of topics, and we made time to take a bunch of pictures in front of the two murals painted on each side of the sally port.

Once the pictures were taken and everyone’s stomachs were filled we decided to make our way to our destination, but in looking at the map we thought we would see if we could find our way across a small stream and train tracks into the greenbelt so that we could avoid the sound and exhaust of cars during our walk. We were thrilled that no fences were in our way as we carefully walked across the place where the water flows and then across the place where the trains roll. We checked to make sure that no trains were coming and took a quick shot of the crew on the tracks. It could have been an album cover it was so good.

After crossing over the tracks we made our way down into the greenbelt where we followed a variety of trails that led us to West Bouldin Creek. Along our walk we saw a tree that had split and fallen but got caught up by branches to form perpendicular angles. The most amazing thing about the tree was that it was still alive, and the branches of the tree were budding. We guessed that it was a quite recent break, and most likely happened during the deep freeze that Austin experienced in mid-February. The weight of the ice that coated the trees brought down many trees in the area. It was a beautiful area that we walked through, and it would be worth coming back to in the future.

Also in the greenbelt we stumbled upon some tents. One of the Learners wanted to walk toward the tents to see what was happening, but Facilitator Ariel talked to the Learners about the importance of not making a lot of noise and steering clear of the tents for purposes of privacy for the people who were living there. That led to a discussion of public and private spaces, and the different expectations we might hold for others relative to ourselves. When Facilitator Ariel asked if the Learner would feel comfortable if someone was walking through their home looking in their rooms or making a lot of noise the Learner conceded that he would not feel comfortable.

When we finally got to the park we settled in, content in being full and having had had a nice walk through a beautiful green space hidden within the city. Some of the Learners spent time down by the water playing on the edge, watching the turtles scurry away, and watching the ducks float by. One of the Learners took off his shoes and walked in far enough for the water to go halfway up his shins. When he came back out of the water to hang with the rest of the crew we noticed something attached to his leg. It was a leech! Super cool for all, gross for some.

There was some time on the hammock, three of us broke out books to read (two Facilitators and a Learner), and a Learner and I threw the football around. Sadly, due to a lack of communication and poor setup the ball ended up in the lake, and slowly drifted away. In many places along the water there was growth that was deep enough and thick enough to prevent the ball from coming to shore while also preventing us from being able to go in and get it. We thought it was a lost cause.

I then followed a Learner back to the top of a hill that was created to provide a beautiful view of the area. Yesterday we found a large stone map of Texas on there, with a collection of cities or towns and their distance from Austin. On this day, I looked up the population of each of the towns, and then pointed out which larger cities and towns were omitted from the map. While we were up there we watched as a Learner worked the football out of the lake so that we could play with it some more in the future. It was an excellent recovery that allowed us to leave the first week of cycle eight on a high note.

At the other cell there was also a Check-in and Change-up, discussions about what to do when we come into contact with people who do not honor our boundaries, some walking, soccer playing, drone flying, and head-banging to metal music. Also ducks.

Day 109 of AY20-21: a slower day

My commitment to blog about each day of this pandacademic year has taken a real hit lately. Today I am finally getting around to writing about day 109, which was Thursday, March 25th. I hope to catch up soon. It’s just been a pretty busy time recently for me with supporting Learners and families within Abrome, responding to prospective families, and supporting folks doing the good work of liberation outside of Abrome. Plus, the pandemic has certainly wore me down as it has many others. This has been exacerbated by my observation of how people and organizations have thrown in the towel and surrendered to chance instead of prioritizing the health and welfare of others. But we shall fight on.

There is less to talk than usual for Abrome’s day 109, as it was the lowest attendance day we have had in quite a while. One, the cell that was meeting near the lake had to take a remote day, and the Flying Squad cell only had two Learners show up. This was in part because three Learners were still quarantining from the break, and another Learner had planned to take this day off. But slow days are not enough to slow us down.

For the morning meeting the youngest Learner wanted to lead the meeting, and with so few present we were much more flexible with how we would approach the meeting and the day, and we all felt that we could table some of the discussion topics we would have otherwise addressed that morning. For prompts the Learner asked us for our favorite type of sports vehicle, and our favorite type of grass. What we found is that there is not much excitement around sports vehicles in the group, and that bamboo is the favorite type of grass for half of the Abrome crew, as well as giant pandas.

Next we talked about our plans for the day. Both Facilitators expressed a desire to walk a bit and to enjoy some open space and set up the hammock to relax a bit, so we decided to head toward the Long Center to see what that might offer us. Unsurprisingly, the Learners were focused on where they would be able to get food that they were often not able to get at home, and we made plans to stop at a fast food joint and a food truck on our way back to the pickup point at the end of the day.

The weather was glorious, as Facilitator Ariel said, so the walk along the river was particularly nice. Even better, a Learner that had been wearing pants every day decided to follow our advice and wear shorts, which meant that he was able to enjoy the warmer weather instead of having to deal with it. We were thrilled to stumble upon a nice little green patch next to a pond and decided that this was where we were going to set up for a good portion of the day. But first, we took turns running to the bathroom while others watched the backpacks, and then Facilitator Ariel set up the hammock. The hammock was a big hit with the Learners, with each wanting to spend time in it. The hammock also gave us an opportunity to talk about boundaries—the need to ask permission to use someone else’s stuff, masking when close to each other, and when to step back and not engage with someone when they are doing something else (such as answering a phone call).

Facilitator Ariel told a parent of one of the Learners that morning that today might be a good day for light sabers, so one of the Learners brought his light saber, as did Facilitator Ariel. Eventually the light sabers came out and there was a violent battle between the Learners. Fortunately there were no serious injuries had, other than arms that got sliced off and severed arteries.

As we requested a slower day without so many Learners there was also a lot of time sitting and being by ourselves. One Learner found himself down by the pond staring at the birds in the lake, with the skyline of downtown in the distance. Meanwhile, another Learner found himself up a tree and balancing himself well out on a branch that would probably not hold a Learner of a larger size.

We had some challenges on the day, as well. One Learner broke some branches off of a tree and that led to us talking about the Abrome principles: take care of yourself, take care of others, and take care of the space. We talked about whether or not it was appropriate to break branches off of a living tree for the sake of breaking branches, versus having a need for it. Separately, I engaged with a Learner on his need to provide commentary and critique the actions of the other Learner. It seemed that the Learner was trying to establish himself as older and more mature and therefore needing to point out the differences between him and the younger Learner. This allowed us to talk about development and whether or not we should be judging others on age, maturity, or other issues. Finally, there was still a fixation on food for much of the day, even though we committed to going to the food destinations they requested at the end of the day.

But the Facilitators were steadfast in sticking with the original plan, and not going back so early for food that we were left just sitting around waiting for the day to end. With a chunk of time reserved for staying in place, one of the Learners went into discovery mode, and began cloverleafing around our patch of green in the city. Soon he decided to run up a small hill where he found a great view of the city and a representative view of Texas, with select cities all over it. It was a pretty great installation into the city for the public to enjoy, and it would be great if we could find ways to add some context to it so that it included names and history that is not confined to present day Texas.

Having been able to take in the space on this slower day, we packed up and began our trek back to the pickup spot with plans to stop at the food joints along the way. First we hit P. Terry’s where the Learners fell prey to the draw of tasty but not the healthiest of options. Having spent a good amount of money and time there, we then continued our trek to the Thai ice cream food truck we had hit on Monday. This time, though, the Learner who chose to splurge a bit at P. Terry’s did not have the money necessary to get ice cream. It was a great lesson on the limits of money. Meanwhile I keep modeling bringing all my food each day, as a healthier and less expensive alternative to always wanting to prepare food and treats.

Day 108 of AY20-21: taking out the trash

The forecast for Wednesday, March 24th, included thunderstorms as late as the evening of Tuesday, March 23rd. But the thunderstorms were scheduled for the afternoon, and it seemed that thunderstorms kept clearing out of the forecast the closer we got to it. Which makes sense, since meteorologists need to work with probabilities based on current conditions. As a forecast becomes closer, uncertainty reduces, and while there may be a 30% of thunderstorms in five days, come the morning of, that 30% may now be 80% or 10%. On this day there was a small chance of afternoon thunderstorms, which meant we might have to cancel the day or plan for an early pickup. Having missed out on January and February thanks to Covid-19 spread and the Texas freeze, we really wanted to find a way to allow everyone to come together, so I sent the following email to Parents and Guardians at 6:50 a.m. (our start time is 10:00 a.m.):

Current weather forecasts say there is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Based on the updated forecasts at noon, we may ask you to pick up your Learner/s at 1p. We will not contact you if there is no need for an early pickup. If you would not be able to pick up your Learner/s at 1p if there is a half day because of inclement weather, your Learner should stay home today.

More concerning to me was that some of the Learners have not been drinking enough water. This has always been a concern for us, so we asked every Learner to bring a water bottle with them every day so they would always have water nearby. At the Abrome facility I got a standup, 5-filter water purification system and dispenser so that there was never an excuse for not drinking enough water. Even with that making drinking water easy, Learners would often get so lost in other activities that they would fail to stay hydrated. This is certainly one area where conventional schools may have an advantage, because there students are often be permitted to leave a painful class if they go get a drink at the water fountain. During this pandacademic year we are entirely outdoors, so we are doubly challenged because the elements can make it more difficult on the Learners (hot weather requires more water, and cold weather makes drinking enough water less desirable) and we can’t carry much water with us. Each Facilitator brings at least two-gallons of water per day in their vehicle, but sometimes getting back to the vehicle is challenging. So last Wednesday I asked if we could get everyone to give drink half of their bottle of water by the end of the morning meeting so that they could top it off before we headed out for the day.

We expected Wednesday to be a great day. We were still three Learners down due to quarantine, which sucked, but we had made plans to act upon a young Learner’s interest in addressing all the litter in Austin. I brought gloves and garbage bags to make the pickup easier on us. After the morning meeting we talked about how we would spend our day and when we would make time for the pickup. I suggested maybe early in the day before it got too hot and before we were too tired, especially because folks were already tired from the two days before, while others suggested we do a cleanup after the afternoon roundup. But the city employs folks who clean up trash at the park that we hold our meeting, while other parts of the city do not. Eventually they decided that they were going to pick up trash on the way back to the pickup point at the end of the day.

But they also decided they did not want to walk very far this day. Instead, they wanted to go across the street to Zilker Park and play in the large fields and on the rock outcropping in the middle of the park. When we got there the Learners immediately got to playing in various ways. We worked our way to the outcropping and I hung my bag from a tree and sat down with the intention of writing down some notes. One Learner found a pack of cards that had been left there, asked to borrow my stick of glue, and worked to repair the box for future use.

A younger Learner climbed up, over, around, and through the rock outcropping, and eventually decided that he was going to make a home out of a cave. He began to gather branches, grasses, and other materials he found to decorate his space. I looked over at another Learner who was sitting and eating some chips. I asked him what he planned to do while we were there and he said there was nothing to do. He’s one of our newest Learners and is still deschooling. I offered up some of my books to read, some art supplies to work with, and offered to throw the football with him. He passed on all of it, and I recognized that it was a good time for him to sit with himself.

Later, an adolescent Learner chose to join in the play of the younger Learner and they climbed up into some of the trees, and I offered to pass the football to them in the tree to see if they could catch it without falling (they were not very high and I did not throw the ball very hard).

The weather was really beautiful, it was overcast and pretty so there was no direct sun on our backs, but the warmth of the air meant we were not chilly in any way. We could feel the nice, warm, springtime mist on our faces.

Facilitator Ariel asked the Learner who did not believe the had anything to do if he was willing to throw the football around. He passed on the opportunity, but the others Learners said yes. I also joined in, and we played a variety of spontaneous games such as try to tackle Facilitator Ariel, try to avoid being tacked by Facilitator Ariel, let Facilitator Ariel kick the ball as far as possible and see who can recover it first while everyone else tackles each other en route to the ball, etc. The laughter and joy emanating from the other Learners pulled the Learner who was standing on the sidelines into the games. There was lots of running, some jammed fingers, and a couple of scrapes from biting it on the turf.

I briefly checked the weather apps on my phone and confirmed that the thunderstorms had cleared out of the forecast for the afternoon, so there was no need for me to let the Learners’ families know that they needed to come pick them up. I was thrilled we were not going to be stuck with a half day.

Afterward the Learners were interested in resting. Facilitator Ariel offered to set up the hammock and one of the Learners assisted him in setting it up. This gave me the opportunity to sit down and eat some lunch, and afterward I broke out Usual Cruelty and continued to slow read the first essay of the book. An essay, that by the time I finished it, I felt was the most perfect essay written about what the criminal injustice system is.

What good is the hammock if folks can’t relax in it. One of the Learners was really eager to enjoy it and asked Facilitator Ariel if he could hang out in it, and Facilitator Ariel said he could. There was some conversation about the Learner getting his own so they could set up multiple hammocks in the future, and so that he would not need to wait his turn. The Learner said he might ask his parents to buy him one, and Facilitator Ariel asked if instead he might consider saving up the money to buy his own.

While we were sitting around an older guy wandered into the area where we were and observed us for a minute. He seemed interested in what these two guys and these young people were doing, hanging out, playing, laughing, and talking in a care free way on a school day. One of the Learners shied away from him, perhaps having learned from dominant culture that strangers, especially men, seemingly poor folks, or houseless people (we had no reason to believe that he was poor or houseless) were a potential threat. Facilitator Ariel saw the Learner’s apprehension so Facilitator Ariel spoke out to him to ask him how he was doing. He said he was okay, but that his brother just died and he was dealing with that. Facilitator Ariel and the man then had a conversation about life, family, Austin, and eventually schooling.

At this point, a young Learner who sometimes struggles with remembering to wear his mask around others walked up into the area where the two were talking. Noticing that this was a new person he immediately put on his mask, and then waved to the man. The man smiled, appreciating the acknowledgement. When he was finished speaking to Facilitator Ariel he walked my way and I expressed my sympathies. We then had a conversation about what schooling is and what education is not, that some of the Learners took note of. Even if they didn’t catch the content of the conversations that Facilitator Ariel and I had with the man, they all recognized that we were willing to have a conversation with the man, and that maybe dominant culture can sometimes get us to focus on the wrong things.

After spending a good amount of time in the park, the Learners decided that now it was time to head out to some food trucks for a late lunch. At the food trucks Facilitator Ariel talked with a Learner who is interested on getting a job and saving money. The Learner said that they were too young to work, and Facilitator Ariel talked about what the real constraints on working was. The Learner said they might be interested in working at a food truck for their first job, and was interested in one of the trucks on the lot. Facilitator Ariel encouraged the Learner to start a conversation with the person in the food truck so they could see if there was any opportunity for them. The Learner was anxious, and was not willing to start the conversation. Facilitator Ariel asked if he could start the conversation, so the Learner could see how to strike up a conversation that would include an ask. The Learner said that would be great.

Soon it would be time for the afternoon roundup, and the day was winding down. I reminded everyone that we said we wanted to do a trash pickup and that we would need to get going pretty soon if we wanted to do justice to the effort. Facilitator Ariel and one of the Learners agreed, but two said that they changed their mind and were no longer interested. This was an interesting response because the Learners who were no longer interested included the one who introduced the concern of litter, and the other was concerned about the environment. I felt that the lower energy at the end of the day might be the challenge, but I kept my mouth shut. After having a conversation about intentions and the fact that the cell was explicitly designed to be a social justice oriented Flying Squad, they decided that they would participate in the pickup. We pulled out three large, heavy duty garbage bags and everyone put on disposable gloves.

We made our way back down a major road where there was a good amount of trash, but it was when we got to the hike and bike trail that we hit the garbage jackpot. In the brush along the trail, and eventually along the lake, there was lots of garbage laying around to include candy wrappers, junk food containers, beer cans and cases, and discarded or lost clothing. It was a challenging task thanks much to the temperature and humidity, and the poison ivy everywhere, but there seemed to be somewhat of a desire to collect more garbage than the others. We made a great haul, and when we got back we took a photo and then stuffed the garbage bags into garbage bins. We all felt decent to great about helping to clean up a tiny part of the city, and a couple of us felt good about the physical exertion of the effort. It was nice that random people kept thanking us for cleaning up while on their walks and runs. What a great ending to a great day.

Meanwhile, at the other cell there was lots of walking and talking, looking at flowers, watching turtles, pretending to be squirrels and burying pecans. Unfortunately there was an incident where the Learners left their bags to go refill water and when they returned they saw a man going through their bags. Fortunately, Facilitator Lauren approached the man and told him to leave and the guy did not take anything. They could not be certain if he was trying to help or if he was trying to take, but the crew was not thrilled that the man had been touching their stuff, and worse, that he was unmasked and did not give them the space that they wanted. Afterward, Facilitator Lauren spoke to them about ways that they can proactively advocate for themselves in the future if they come into contact with someone who does not honor their need for space and security, and how they want to feel when they came back the next day. They discussed talking through scenarios, and then some of the Learners took some personal time to paint or just sit. The Learners all rallied despite the frustration of the incident, and the day ended well even if the day itself was not great.

Day 107 of AY20-21: a food focused day

My Abrome day on Tuesday, day 107 of our pandacademic year, started out with a call with a parent on my drive to the drop off location that morning. The parent’s Learner is out this week for quarantine, so we talked about the specifics of the quarantine but we also talked about future options for the Learner. It was a nice conversation that ended just as I pulled into the parking lot where I was going to leave my vehicle for the day. There I met up with Facilitator Ariel and we discussed the tension that exists in society between those who want to pretend the pandemic is over, and those who recognize that it is too early to stop engaging in practices that will protect others and prevent the continued spread of Covid-19. It has really knotted me up seeing so many people demanding that schools, restaurants, and bars reopen, while people are eagerly ditching their masks indoors where people congregate. The bar for what we can do as a society to protect one another is so low, yet it seems as if a shrinking segment of the population is willing to clear it each successive day, and even fewer institutions are willing to step over the bar. Sometimes it seems like we live in a different reality than others. With 60,000 people still being infected every day, we will continue to place community over convenience, and people over profits.

On this day I was leading the morning meeting. One of the Learners volunteered to serve as game master, which has become a pretty limited outdoors this year. Without a gameshifting board we don’t touch upon intentions of the meetings, start times, end times, etc. We usually just include how are bodies are to be used and how we are to interact. The Learner on this day said sit or stand, and popcorn. The prompts were, what can you do to respect others, and what is the social justice issue you are most interested in pursuing this cycle? The responses to the second prompt were really great because it gave us some direction in how we might approach the rest of the week: racism, needs of the houseless population, litter, cash bail, childism and adultism. We then discussed all the walking we did yesterday, and the Facilitators and a Learner decided that it would be a good idea to start our day with stretches. We found a grassy area and followed Facilitator Ariel’s lead. Eventually the other Learners joined in on the stretching.

We then took off walking. No one had any stated preferences for which direction to head, so we decided to slowly make our way downtown. At one point a Learner decided that Trader Joe’s was where he wanted to go so that he could get another box of jelly beans. No one objected so we made our way to the pedestrian bridge where we noticed that the rain the prior night washed away our chalk messages that we laid down the day before. We also observed some people jumping into the lake from the bridge. As we continued we walked by a coffee shop that allowed people to order and pick up their coffee entirely outside. Facilitator Ariel picked up a coffee, and another Learner asked about the food offerings they had. When the barista was listing off the pastries that were available, the Learner said, “are they organic?” The barista could not confirm they were, so he decided to pass.

When we got to Trader Joe’s the Learner picked up his box of jelly beans, while another Learner hovered around him hoping that the Learner would buy him a chocolate bar (didn’t happen), and then we all met back up on the turf in front of the grocery store. At that moment there was differing opinions on what we should do next. Some people just wanted to relax, one Learner wanted to go looking for a food truck that they could get a hot lunch at, and the Learner with the jelly beans wanted to sit down and eat them right there. After sharing our needs and wants it became pretty apparent that the only option was to venture out to support the Learner who wanted to get some lunch.

We made our way northeast and stumbled upon Republic Square outside the US Federal Courthouse. There the Learners and Facilitator Ariel lined up at Salt & Thyme and reviewed their options. The Learner who was looking for lunch got a sandwich, as did Facilitator Ariel. One of the Learners kept asking others if they would be willing to get him some ice cream, or if they would be willing to loan him money. When that failed he would just state out loud how much he wish he could eat ice cream. His hyper-focus on food and drink that day and the day before has been a lot, and he has received that feedback from others. Eventually Facilitator Ariel and the Learner’s food was ready and they moved out to a spot that would allow them to take off their masks to eat. The Learner who was asking for food and money just stared at the ice cream that Facilitator Ariel bought. Facilitator Ariel then turned to him, and said that he bought the ice cream for the Learner, but only under the condition that he never ask him for money for food again. The Learner eagerly agreed.

When a younger Learner saw that another Learner had some ice cream, he decided that he also wanted some ice cream. He needed to have me purchase his food for him since I was sent the money via Venmo from his parents at the beginning of the week. I asked him to let me finish eating my bagged lunch that I brought with me that day, then walked over and paid for the ice cream cup that he wanted to eat. It was a pretty expensive cup of ice cream, and by this time everyone in the group had finished eating. We waited, and then watched a handful of unmasked kids from a very expensive private school come into the park to play a game of touch football. While the Learners and Facilitator Ariel were in conversation I continued to watch the private school kids playing football, and I thought about how different their experiences had been during this pandemic than Abrome kids, and public school kids.

Everyone in our group had been ready to go for quite some time waiting for the younger Learner to finish his ice cream when he approached me and told me that he wanted another cup of ice cream. At that point I told him that we had all been waiting for him and were all ready to go. The Learner was insistent that we wait for him to buy and eat another cup of ice cream, and everyone else in the group indicated that they were really not wanting to stay in the park even longer than they had already been. We talked about the needs and the wants of each individual in the group and we said we really needed to get going if we were going to meet the needs and wants of the others in the group who had followed along with the food oriented requests of the other Learners that day. The Learner agreed to move on although he was unhappy to be leaving without another cup of ice cream.

We made our way toward Austin City Hall, which I pointed out to them, and then asked them what (if any) types of issues would they show up there for a protest. As we continued to walk we talked about the impact of protest versus other forms of engaging with issues, such as direct action. Then we made our way onto the First Street Bridge, and then under the bridge after we crossed over Town Lake. After a brief break to catch our breath we continued along the hike and bike trail back toward the Zilker Park where we would settle in for the rest of the afternoon. During the walk three folks decided to take their shoes off and enjoy the feeling of their feet on the earth.

When we got to Zilker Park I asked if anyone needed to refill their water bottle. Unfortunately, only one other Learner needed to, which highlighted that we were not drinking enough water. I wrote a note to myself to bring up the hydration concern at the end of the week Check-in and Change-up meetings. After I returned with a full water bottle I found two Learners sketching in the park. I broke out a book and began to read, while Facilitator Ariel tried coaxing a Learner to get up and move around after he had complained that he was bored. I offered the Learner some books to read, and some art supplies to play with, but he said he just wanted to go home. Eventually Facilitator Ariel got him to stand up and do some partner stretches with him. We all observed some people doing a very slow moving but intense workout with what looked like a weighted bar with a ball on the end. When one of them walked by our group at the end of his workout I stopped him and asked him what he was up to. He said that the bar was a steel mace and the movements they were doing is called steel mace flow. He was super enthusiastic about sharing it and told us to consider getting involved in it ourselves.

We held our afternoon roundup in the park, during which Facilitator Ariel sparked a conversation about labels and what labels each of us are comfortable and uncomfortable with. Then he asked if we were willing to act upon a Learner’s concern about litter by having a trash pickup day on Wednesday, and a bike day on Friday. Three of us eagerly opted into the trash pickup, and surprisingly the two Learners who were concerned about litter or the environment said they didn’t want to. I offered to bring trash bags and gloves, as it seemed that they were not wanting to touch the garbage directly, and I highlighted that it would not take up the entire day, but a portion of the day. They then said they would participate! Three of them also said they would like to bring their bikes on Friday.

The other cell had a relaxed and joyful day. There was lots of time spent hanging out on the dock, playing in the water, painting and playing the cougar stalks deer game. They also debated whether boars or mountain lions were more dangerous. They were going to play soccer but the sun was too intense when they were ready to play so they decided to hold off for another day. Here are some pictures and videos from that cell.

Day 106 of AY20-21: returning from spring break for our first specialty cell day

Monday, March 22nd was our 106th day of the pandacademic year, and the first day of cycle eight. And cycle eight is the first of four straight cycles with a specialty cell. All year long we have been meeting in-person in nature at a variety of places that have allowed us to be together more safely during Covid-19, other than the month and a half that we were shut down because Austin was in the worst risk stage level of the pandemic, and then another week and a half thanks to the terrible Texas freeze that brought everything to a halt. While we have thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors in nature, and we still have cells that will be outdoors in nature for the rest of the year, starting this cycle we will also have one specialty cell that Learners can opt into that is focused around a specific activity or purpose. This cycle that cell is a social justice oriented Flying Squad. The Facilitators for this cell are me and Ariel. So for this cycle I’ll be talking primarily about this Flying Squad.

Going into Spring Break I was concerned that with most of broader society relaxing their approach to preventing the spread of Covid-19, in addition to the substantial portion of the population that was not even trying in the first place, that some of the Learners in our community may let loose over the break and engage in practices that increased their potential exposure. It does not help that their friends in public and private schools have likely embraced the false narratives about kids being safe from the disease, and the more recent viral (pun intended) lie that kids are akin to vaccinated elderly people. So on my weekly update at the beginning of spring break I included:

Please, please, stay vigilant. Please wear your mask when around people who are not in your household (I still have N95 masks and I am happy to give you more of them). Also, please do not dine in at restaurants or go to bars, do not have sleepovers, and do not attend indoor parties. And if you end up taking such risks please let us know and voluntarily self-quarantine.

At the end of spring break I followed up with another request for families to be forthright about any such behavior (text is in bold, just like in the weekly update):

If over spring break your Learner spent time indoors, unmasked with people outside of their household or dedicated pod, please let us know that they will be self-quarantining before coming back together with us. They should not show up tomorrow if that is the case. This includes any sleep overs, parties, or indoor dining.

We have quarantines in place to protect others if someone engages in behavior that may have put them at risk of catching Covid-19. We are not asking for people to never engage in higher risk activities such as eating in at a restaurant or going to a party, we are only asking that if they do that they communicate with us and engage in the necessary quarantine protocols. I was appreciative that the Learners or families who engaged in such practices let us know and began their quarantines.

Our response to the pandemic is based on the best available information we have on Covid-19 (its impact on people, how it spreads, and the state of the pandemic). We admittedly have a bias toward protecting the members of our community and public health. We have been extraordinarily clear that we are going to err on the side of caution, and that this can only work if every member of the community commits to doing so, as well. Every school in Austin has taken a different, less serious approach than Abrome, and they are able to serve all of those who are not willing to support our practices. We have certainly suffered in terms of enrollment and financially from our decision to prioritize community care, but we firmly believe that we should prioritize community over convenience, and people over profits.

Five of us at Philosophers' Rock

At the Flying Squad specialty cell, we would be at half the size we had hoped to be because of quarantining Learners. But the Learners and Facilitators showed up eager to make the most of the day, anyhow.

Facilitator Ariel opened the morning meeting, and asked who wanted to be the game master. I volunteered and said folks could sit or stand, stay 6 feet apart, and jump in when they want to talk. Facilitator Ariel then started with announcements, and one of the Learners reminded everyone that this was a social justice oriented cell, and that we should spend time actually talking about or acting on social justice issues. Facilitator Ariel also added that we should listen to one another, focus on what we are each saying, and to be mindful of our space while we are out in the city. We each then talked about how we did with our practices over spring break, and what we were most looking forward to this cycle. Then we talked about what we wanted to do and agreed to begin walking. Facilitator Ariel asked everyone if they wanted to stretch before we got going, but they just wanted to start walking.

Learning about our surroundings

We didn’t get far before I stopped at a sign to learn about the history of the cottage in the park. One of the young Learners stopped by to look at the sign while I was reading it, and I asked him if he wanted me to read it out loud. He said no, so I kept reading and when I finished we continued walking.

Thai ice cream … mind blown!

As we meandered we came across our first food truck. One of the Learners was given some money from his parents to spend each day on food or drink, and the first food truck he saw became the place he was going to spend some of his money on this day. I helped him review the menu and he decided that he was ready to buy, but the person working the truck said that they would not be ready for at least another ten minutes. He decided that he would like to wait it out, while some of the other Learners and Facilitator Ariel wanted to walk to get coffee. Because there are two Facilitators in this cell it was easy enough to break into two subgroups. When the thai ice cream truck finally opened, the Learner made his selection, and then we waited. While we waited we talked about everything from what the ice cream might taste like to other things he could eat that day. The people in the food truck let us know that one of the best parts of thai ice cream is watching the way it is made, so the Learner grabbed a stool and dragged it over to the window near where they would roll the ice cream, and watched them make the ice cream. When they gave it to him he admired the aesthetics of the ice cream, then sat down, and took a small bite. I asked him how it tasted and he indicated that it was mind blowingly good.

When he was finished we started walking down the path that the other group said they would return on. We met up with them not far from the food truck, and then we continued on. We did not really have a destination other than seeing what we could find as we approached downtown.

We eventually found our way to the pedestrian bridge over Town Lake, where we stopped to enjoy some people watching, the views of the city, and the weather. I took a quick daily update video to throw on the Instagram account, a practice I started in cycle 7. While we lingered on the bridge two of the Learners began talking about how much they wanted to get candy. They wanted to go to a candy shop that we would sometimes go into on Flying Squad days before the pandemic.

Candy, soda, junk food, and other less than healthy options are a difficult topic in the Self-Directed Education world. While we believe in child autonomy, we also tend to have a bias toward healthier living choices, relative to the general population. Some in the radical unschooling segment of SDE believe that children should be able to eat whatever they want all day long, while most others believe that the adults should at the very least limit the amount of junk food that comes in the house, and the amount of money that can be spent on junk food out of the house. We don’t have limitations on eating such foods at Abrome, but we choose not to provide junk food to Learners. Each Learner must therefore have conversations with their parents or guardians as to what food they bring with them each day, and when we are going to be in places where we can buy food, how much money they get to spend on food and any limits they may have on the types of food available to them. The only way we will choose to interfere in such decisions is if there are particular ingredients that a Learner needs to avoid, such as dyes or gluten.

Balance, he’s got it

But on this day, we said that the candy store was not an option. It was not a rejection of candy, but it was a rejection of having us all squeeze into a small store during the pandemic. One Learner was pretty fixated on this candy store option, so we asked what other options might be available. Was he willing to go to a store with a window that we would not have to go into? Or could we just go to a larger grocery store with lots of air volume and ventilation? He chose the grocery store Trader Joe’s, and everyone else was pretty excited to go there as well, so we all headed in that direction. On the way we stopped at another coffee shop that had an outdoor facing window, and Facilitator Ariel refueled for the second time. Nearby, we found two benches seated next to each other, and I asked if anyone thought I could make walk along the top of the back of the bench from end to end. Then I did it to prove that just because I was the oldest in the crew did not mean I don’t have balance. All the other Learners then tried the same, as did Facilitator Ariel. Then the youngest Learner went to the bench none of us tried to walk on, and walked along the top of that one, hoped the distance between the two benches, and then walked along the top of the other one.

When we got to Trader Joe’s, we made sure our masks were properly fitted and then we went into the store. Given the many options of candy that was available it took a while to find the best option, but the Learner with the sweet tooth eventually settled on a good sized, very affordable box of gourmet organic jelly beans. We then settled in on a large piece of turf outside the store to eat our lunches and talk. In that talk was more conversation about food. To be honest, I was getting tired of talking about food, but for some Learners it seems to always be top of mind—at least when we are in the city where there are lots of food options. They were not so hyper focused when we were meeting out in nature where there are no grocery stores or food trucks.

It’s all about perspective

Our stay near Trader Joe’s lasted for a good while, as no one was itching to move on. Facilitator Ariel decided that it was a good time to do some headstands, and he encouraged the Learners to join him. One did readily, while needed some reassurance that it was possible and some coaching on how to get in position. When they were finished trying to stand on their heads they decided they wanted to see how fast they were on their feet. They began to challenge each other and the Facilitator to races, and several were had. I almost bowled over one of the Learners when they veered into my path as I was quickly overtaking them from behind. Fortunately no one was hurt and much fun was had. We probably burned off a collective 10 jelly beans in the process.

Learning about bald cypress trees

As the day began winding down we decided to head back to the pickup location but on a slightly different path. We decided to walk toward the public library, where we read some of the signs that identified different trees and shrubs that were planted around the library, and then on a path next to the creek that took us under Cesar Chavez Street, and onto the hike and bike trail around Town Lake. We walked west until we returned back at the pedestrian bridge.

At the pedestrian bridge I pointed out that there were two ways up, via a long circular ramp, or up some stairs. Two Learners and Facilitator Ariel opted for the ramp, and they decided to run up it for some additional benefits. I filmed the run, and then I joined another Learner in walking up the stairs.

Once on the bridge we admired the many messages that were left by people with street chalk. Most of the messages on this day were left by vegans encouraging folks to eat plants instead of meat. I then remembered I had some chalk in my bag and offered it to whoever was interested in writing their own messages. Some of the messages we left included questions about capitalism, policing, the state, and a request for folks to not buy PS5 until they have more games available. One Learner worked on a dinosaur and another drew a large fox.

While it was fun to hang out on the bridge and play with the street chalk, we realized that that effort left us with little time to get back to the pickup point in time for pickup. So we said we would need to really get moving. While we only had about a mile or so walk ahead of us, we had already walked or ran a total of five miles at that point. On the way, a young Learner was really struggling to move, probably a result of too much sugar and too little water, so an adolescent Learner said she’d carry him 0.8 miles back to the pickup location. He didn’t believe she could make it, but she did. We ran out of time for our afternoon roundup, but we made it back in time for pickup. It was a very fun, tiring day.

At the other cell there was lots of running around, lots of soccer, and a visit from some geese. I’ll report mostly from the Flying Squad cell this cycle, but I will try to include some updates from that cell. Here are two videos.

Day 105 of AY20-21: final day of cycle seven

Friday was our last day before our spring break, and the last day of cycle seven of our pandacademic year. And cycle seven will be our last cycle without a specialty cell. Speaking of which, Friday was the last day that Learners had to commit to participate in the Flying Squad specialty cell. Friday was bound to be a lazy day, as Thursday was, as everyone was pretty worn out from two weeks of high energy activity.

Having gotten my second Covid-19 vaccination shot (Moderna) on Thursday, I was not feeling great and stayed home on Friday. I volunteered to take over the check-ins for what was hopefully going to be our last remote cell meetings of the year (when we drop below stage level four we do not have a dedicated remote cell). In the morning meeting we talked about some of the things that we wanted to get done today to include cleaning up our room, spending less time on screens, reading a book, letting chickens out, working on financials, finish reading a book, writing a blog post, relaxing, and finding a new show to binge on.

At the cell that Facilitator Lauren is in the Learners showed up super excited for the day. A young Learner who has struggled at times to keep his mask on said that his new mask was really comfortable and smelled good, and anticipated that he would pull it down far less that day. Because it was Friday they held their weekly Check-in and Change-up meetings after the morning check-in, which went great. One of the Learners raised another awareness, and then they collectively identified what needs were relevant to the awareness, and practices that they would commit to working on to address the awareness.

Connecting and caring

Cairn time

During the meetings one of the Learners was playing with a stick and it was very distracting to Facilitator Lauren, so she asked him if he could please stop playing with the stick and focus on the meeting. The 8-year-old Learner kindly said that he could not actually simultaneously sit still and focus on the meeting. Facilitator Lauren acknowledged the need for this Learner to engage physically with his environment in order to be present. While it was distracting, it was not so distracting that they could not move on, and it was not intended to interrupt the meetings, so they continued with the meeting. In a conventional school setting this Learner would have been punished and possibly pushed out because of his inability to sit still. While this can be uncomfortable for adults who want to control a room (or in this case an open field) for efficiency sake, it is unfair to Learners who don’t fit into the mold of the good, silent, compliant student. There is always going to be a balance between meeting the needs of individual Learners and meeting the needs of the community, but there are usually many ways to meet the needs of everyone, at once, and the needs of the community are often not the wants of the adults.

Ironclad beetle

The Learners didn’t get the memo that it was going to be a slower day, as there was a lot of pretend play in some downed trees by a rock wall during the morning, where the Learners defended their wrecked ship from zombies and dinosaurs! One of the Learners who was deeply engaged in the play told Facilitator Lauren earlier in the week that he did not like pretend play, so perhaps the play he did not like did not include zombies and dinosaurs.

A stone axe!

In the afternoon there was some cairn building, a favorite of some of the Learners, and then one of the Learners found an Ironclad Beetle which played dead when it was picked up. The Learners and Facilitator Lauren looked up the species online and learned that in the Yucatan Peninsula they are sometimes bejeweled, chained to pins, and worn as living brooches! We thought that was cool but worried that it was bad for the beetles, doubting that they were fed or taken good care of. Later in the day one of the Learners decided to make a stone axe with some help from Facilitator Lauren who fashioned the cordage necessary to attach the axe head to the wooden handle. It was a very fun and playful day for the small cell near the riverbed.

Home base for the turtles

At the other cell it was a chill, low energy day. The Learners and Facilitator Ariel stopped to admire a bunch of turtles coming together at the base of a tree on their trek to the spot that they planned to spend the day. Sometimes as many as twenty turtles can be spotted sitting on the roots of the tree at the edge of an inlet off of the river. Our favorite turtle was nowhere to be found, but surely many of his friends and relations were hanging out under the tree.

The Check-in and Change-up meetings were fully attended by the Learners. At the meetings everyone reflected that they could have done a better job with the practices, and said that they would do a better (more mindful) job of it moving forward.

On this day there was more fishing, as fishing has become a thing for some of the Learners ever since a couple of them came to the aid of a novice fisherman earlier in the week. One of the Learners was practicing his casting skills at the edge of the lake when Facilitator Ariel engaged him in conversation about memories surrounding prior fishing experiences.

Later in the day some local high school students came to the park for a party so the Learners began to pack up and said they were ready to go to a different section of the park. The Learners and Facilitators have previously had conversations about the fact that this is a public space, and that when no one is around there is no problem with us monopolizing a space, but that when others show up it is appropriate for us to make space so that others can use it. Especially when those people are unmasked. As they were packing up and as the high school kids were moving in, Facilitator Ariel noticed that one of them had something in their eye and other students were around him trying to help. Facilitator Ariel offered some eye drops and then helped the student out. The local high school students courteously apologized for unintentionally causing the Learners to leave the dock area. Facilitator Ariel then told them not to worry about it because they were moving to open up the space that Abrome Learners had occupied much of that week.

Everyone moved to an area near a bench where they finished the day with a few grappling lessons and conversations about Call of Duty. Closing the cycle out in the afternoon, everyone reflected on what practices they could continue into the break that would help us be prepared for the new cycle. The consensus was DRINK WATER, our evergreen practice.

I finished up the final day with a final meeting with the remote cell. In that meeting we reflected on our week via rose-bud-thorn. Some of the thorns were physical pain, missing meetings, and getting dumped by their romantic partner. Some of the buds were new art projects, reading books, checking off some goals. And some of the buds were posting videos on their blog each day, being at Abrome, getting Vaxxed!, and working on art projects. Then we shared how we hoped to spend our spring break before we came back together again next cycle: write, accomplish goals, read, write, crochet, watch movies, hang with friends online, and work on art. It was a nice, hopefully final entirely remote cell meeting for the year. I cannot wait for us to all come back together again after the break, in-person.

Day 104 of AY20-21: low energy, high impact day

Day 104 of the pandacademic year looked to be a very lightly attended one. One Learner would be out the rest of the week from one cell for a family commitment, three others would be out from the other cell for a variety of reasons to include recovering from the Flying Squad day, four Learners are remote this cycle, and I would be out on the day so that I could get my second Covid-19 vaccination shot! But before I left I shot down to the drop-off point to meet up with Facilitator Ariel before the Learners arrived so I could hand the hot spot off to him. While we were there we filmed the first daily daily Instagram update with two Facilitators. All cycle I had been doing a quick check-in video and it was nice to be able to have another face in the video.

Facilitator Ariel then ran out to a local gas station to get some coffee and then returned to the drop-off spot to wait for the Learners. He, like those who would show up, were in a good mood but physically tired after the high energy, high mileage day of walking around North and South Lamar, the day before. Sensing the low energy from the Learners, Facilitator Ariel asked the Learners what bothered them most. Two Learners said their legs felt tight and pointed to the area behind their knee and the backside of their upper leg. Facilitator Ariel said, “well that’s your hamstring” and led them in hamstring stretches.

Facilitator Ariel then hosted the morning meeting where everyone shared their intentions for the day: fishing for the Learners, writing and editing footage for Facilitator Ariel. After a relocation of the group to the lake so that everyone could take it easy, Facilitator Ariel jumped on the remote call. During the call one of the Learners said that she can’t wait to come back in person because it seems like in-person is having lots of fun. They then moved onto other forward looking interest and goals and that same Learner said that she was moving the publish date for her book up to April! Facilitator Ariel had planned to write the blog post for day 103, that day, so the two of them got into a nice conversation about writing.

Over at the other cell, the Learners were split over where they wanted to hang out that day. The were deadlocked between the “cave” and the “apartment complex.” They’ve given interesting names to the various places that they like to spend time at. They then decided they would split the day, starting out at the apartment complex and then moving to the cave. (They ended up enjoying the apartment complex and stayed their all day).

During their move toward the apartment complex, one of the Learners asked about a plant and Facilitator Lauren told him that it was wood sorrel and that it was edible! The Learner tried it and loved it! He continued to munch away on it while she told him why wild plants are so nutrient dense and how adaptogens work. The other Learner claimed another wood sorrel patch and joined in on the munch party.

In the afternoon one of the Learners asked Facilitator Lauren for a story. With a captivated (not captive) audience, she told two stories: “Coyote and the Rock,” and “Coyote and Horn Toad.” Afterward, one of the Learners asked if they could paint, so Facilitator Lauren broke out some watercolors and the Learner got lost in his creation.

What a day to be fishing

At the end of the day Facilitator Lauren asked for her iPad back, and the Learner who had been using it said that he had accidentally left it in the woods. Facilitator Lauren said that they would go back together to retrieve it, but the Learner said he was afraid to go get it because some people were out there and “one of them is a loud scary woman,” who they’ve heard hollering up there before. When they got close to the spot where the iPad was, Facilitator Lauren let the Learners stand back so they did not have to interact with the woman. The woman saw Facilitator Lauren and began to harass her for wearing a mask in nature. Instead of trying to educate the woman on how how the virus is transmitted, common courtesy, or the value of solidarity within society, she retrieved the iPad and left.

Thrilled to be vaxxed!

Back at the other cell there was no problem with people they came across. While fewer people have been wearing masks when congregating with others since the governor prematurely removed the mask mandate, everyone we’ve come into contact with at least gives distance to those who are wearing masks. They had a “lovely relaxing day,” according to Facilitator Ariel. He finished his first ever Abrome blog post, much fishing was had, and two of the remote Learners said they were excited to be in-person next cycle. And I did get my second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine (Moderna). The other two Facilitators have their second shot scheduled in early April. It was truly a low energy, high impact day at Abrome.

Day 103 of AY20-21: Flying Squad practice run

The Abrome Day began like so many before it, I woke up and I began to prepare for a day that would likely be completely different than the one before it. However, instead of heading to the drop-off spot that gave us access to over 200 acres of park space, as we have done each day of this cycle, I geared up and drove to Zilker Park. Because of the unfamiliar drop off point, I decided to arrive before 9:30 and prepare and set up for the arrival of learners. 

Scavenger hunt checklist

In accordance to other Flying Squad groups, our day was focused on taking up space in a society that does not see children as people. More specifically, we had three goals for the day that we collectively agreed on earlier in the week: 

1. Go to Shake Shack (S. Lamar)

2. Go to Fresa’s (N. Lamar)

3. Meet up with one of my contacts from Austin Mutual Aid at the Long Center of the Performing Arts

Additionally, I had created this photo scavenger hunt that the Learners could choose to participate in, with the intention of helping them be more aware of their surroundings.

As Learners began to arrive around 10 o'clock, I began handing out the photo scavenger cards. Unfortunately one of the Learners that committed to attending was not able to make it, so we were one person light in our adventure. We began the day like any other by holding space for the morning meeting. Our prompts were are you prepared for the day, and what is one thing you brought to be prepared. Everyone said that they were prepared, and the collection of items brought included a rain jacket, money for sustenance, an umbrella and money and water, and a breakfast taco.

Because Learners were still excited to get the Scavenger Hunt going, we decided to take the scenic route by crossing over into the main Zilker Park area. There, a Learner was able to take a “funky group photo” of a family playing volleyball, while others checked off photos of murals, pets, and wild animals.

We also had the time and space to begin using the goPro and to have a conversation about offensive language, and the context that it is often used in. After a brief discussion (only five minutes), we continued our journey to the first destination; SHAKE SHACK! While admitting to a little nervousness, the Learners began to enjoy the differences between the park and city environments. As cars and people passed by in close proximity, we continued to joke, take photos, and march on with what we thought were unlimited reserves of energy. 

By 11:40 we had made the 1.3 mile uphill hike to Shake Shack! While three of the Learners were not interested in having shakes, myself and a Learner ordered strawberry and black-and-white shakes, respectively.

We took the time to rest and then began the downhill walk back towards the city center, headed toward our next stop. At 12:30, we arrived at the Long Center of the Performing Arts to meet with community organizers from Austin Mutual Aid and Austin Needs Water. Because our upcoming (March 22nd) Flying Squad cell will be focused on social justice topics, it was important for the group to have a chance to meet with some community organizers. However, before scheduling the meeting I asked the Learners if they would be interested in doing so. Three-fifths of the Learners who committed to attending seemed very excited while the other two intimated that while they were not particularly interested, they would be okay with joining. 

The organizers (Wesley, Dan, and Iffy) were thrilled to meet the group and quickly began to discuss the importance of their work. Wesley began the conversation by talking about his background, his experience during the ice storm, and how he found himself becoming involved with Austin Needs Water. Dan and Iffy followed him in relating that they too were not trained in community organizing, but had simply chosen to answer the call to serve the community. With them they brought the only resources they felt they could offer: their time, energy, specific expertise, and love for the community. Together, they relayed to the Learners the importance of (1) creating community systems of action that were not reliant on governments, (2) walking it and talking it, and (3) setting a better precedent for future generations (e.g., the Learners). Despite having to hear one or two anti-capitalism rants that Facilitator Antonio would have been proud of, the Learners remained present and afterwards told me that they enjoyed the meeting. One of the Learners still focused on the Scavenger Hunt asked if any of the AMA organizers would be willing to take a “funky group photo” with him! 

At the conclusion of that meet-up, we began the 1.4 mile walk to Fresa’s for lunch. Taking Ann and Roy Butler Hike Trail led us to the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, where we noticed a familiar graffiti tag on the parallel train bridge (TOEFLOP) and paused to wonder how they were able to paint it so high up! We continued our trek, only pausing briefly to take a selfie at the ATX statue in front of Whole Foods, and finally made it to Fresa’s  around 2 pm. 

Due to the grueling nature of our hike, each Learner and Facilitator ordered something to eat! We forded a small creek and enjoyed our meal socially distanced at Duncan Neighborhood Park. The Learner who suggested Fresa’s swore that everything on the menu was “bussin” and the group's post meal reviews corroborated that statement. Once everyone was done eating, we began the final leg of the day—back to the pickup spot. 

Despite several of us having full tummies and tired legs, we made it back by 3:30, our usual Afternoon Roundup time. After taking some time to rest, we began the meeting with the Rose, Bud, Thorn prompt (Favorite part, something with potential/could help you be better prepared, and Least Favorite). Roses included Shake Shack, Fresa’s (x2), Doing lots of things and making it back on time, and walking 6.2 miles. The Buds were dressing better, wearing better shoes, bringing the correct SD card, preparing oneself for long walks, and repeating the prep for the day. Thorns (not surprisingly) were mainly focused on physical exertion: feet hurting, feet & body hurts, took forever to find a suitable bathroom, walking 6.2 miles, and walking full of Fresa’s. We wrapped up with announcements and final thoughts of the day. 

Announcements included discussing what the rest of the week would look like, multiple “hi’s”, and a call to reflect upon what it means and will look like to commit to the Flying Squads cell for the duration of the next cycle. Learners then reflected upon the day and said that they had a lot of fun, but were definitely surprised about the mileage.