Wednesday started off chilly, and I carried my discomfort of the cold morning into the morning meeting where I led with the question, how is the weather treating you? One of the Learners said it was cold, and painful. I agreed, although I said I was looking forward to the day heating up to maybe 80 degrees. Only a couple of Learners showed up for the meeting so it was a relatively short meeting, as we quickly cycled through two other prompts and set our practices for the day. After we adjourned the meeting I went straight into a 1-on-1 check-in with the Learner who felt the cold weather was painful, and who typically does not say much in meetings. On this day, though, the conversation between us kept flowing. We spent about a half an hour talking about various movies and TV shows, of which I know little of. But what was most important was that we were talking and getting to know each other better, which has been challenging during the pandemic. He recommended that I watch the docuseries When They See Us, which I will try to watch over the coming holiday season.
The in-person cell held their morning meeting at The Cave (they’ve begun to name spots) and then broke into two groups, with half of the Learners heading to The Bridge and the other half staying in place.
Hanging out on a platform under the bridge
The Bridge crew consisted of two older Learners and one younger Learner. The younger Learner really wants to get the attention of one of the older Learners, and had recently been demanding a lot of the older Learner’s attention. Facilitator Ariel had a conversation with the Learner to make sure that he understood that sometimes people need space, and that that space needs to be honored. The younger Learner is slowly developing his ability to understand the needs of others, and with some support was able to redirect his attention toward some activities that Facilitator Ariel suggested. It didn’t hurt that Facilitator Ariel had a hatchet that he could let him work with, and they later climbed up on platform under the bridge.
Only one is a Learner at Abrome
It was the last day of the cycle for one of the older Learners, as he had a family member flying into town later that afternoon to help with affairs following the loss in their family, meaning he needs to quarantine for the remainder of the cycle. In a difficult moment for the family they took the time and care to let us know that a family member was coming into town, and verified that they would need to quarantine. When so many seem to be throwing up their hands, weakening Covid protocols, or dismissing them outright, it is reassuring that our community chooses to continue to be vigilant. The older Learner spent most of his time that day with the other older Learner, who was working diligently on a painting, but also checked in on Facilitator Ariel and the younger Learner, as well.
Facilitator Ariel was showed the younger Learner pictures of the climbs they made earlier in the week, and they then hiked to the climbing area together where they spent much of the rest of the day climbing.
The Cave crew was less physically active that day, but they were quite active in terms of imagination. They passed the time singing jokey songs together, and inviting Facilitator Lauren into the games they were playing.
Back at the remote cell I had a very short check-in with a Learner, and left with about 45 minutes until my next meeting, I quickly ran to the lake and jumped in, fulfilling my polar bear club commitment to some of the other Learners that I would jump in the lake at least once per month this year. I lucked out that the temperature hit 80 degrees on this December day.
We never said Self-Directed Education was easy
A younger Learner later asked where the prospective Learner who was shadowing was. When told that the five day shadow ended the day before, he asked when he would return full-time. When told that they would most likely not begin until January 4th, he became distraught at the thought that the prospective Learner would have to wait nearly a month to join. He later explained how Abrome was his “favorite school,” and given the moment we did not feel the need to remind him that Abrome is not a school.
Everyone in the remote cell showed up for afternoon roundup. One Learner showed up in black lipstick and big hair. I said it looks like she was born in the wrong generation. Why, she asked? I said because it seems she would have really enjoyed the hair band days of the 1980s. She said, “I feel like I was born in the right generation because in the 1980’s there wasn’t any Minecraft and Abrome didn’t exist..”
We did checkins and our highlights of the day. The Learner who lost a loved one told us that the week has been rough, but that she is handling it. I asked if she was willing to share a good memory of her and her loved one, and she reflected on one of her earliest memories, where they were together picking grapes from a vine when she was only 3- or 4-years-old. One of the other Learners then expressed her condolences to the Learner who was in mourning during announcements, and after we adjourned the meeting I talked to her for another 45 minutes about her loved one. It was the first time I got to have a really deep conversation with the Learner since the prior week, and I decided to spend most of it just listening.