Day five of the academic year was also day one of the second week of the academic year. The first week was all about introducing or reintroducing ourselves to each other, reaffirming our principles and agreements, identifying challenges we had not fully prepared for, and learning how to work around the challenges on the go. And if day five is an indication of what the second week will be like, we will all be settling into the experience of Self-Directed Education fully outdoors in physically distant operating cells.
We started our day out with fewer Learners than usual. Our cell is maxed out with seven Learners, but one Learner is helping his grandparents move into a new house in another state, one Learner was resting after a minor injury he received over the weekend, and two Learners had appointments. With only three Learners and two Facilitators (yes, that’s a pretty wild Learner to Facilitator ratio) our morning meeting lasted only a few minutes. In those few minutes we reviewed the awarenesses raised and the practices proposed during our first Check-in and Change-up meeting on Friday. Especially the hydration practices.
A toad we stumbled across on our hike
After the morning meeting I asked the Learners if they were willing to walk to an elevated portion of the park we had not yet been to so I could try out the hotspot there. After a short hike everyone found a place to rest, drank water, and began to take in the new setting while I tried to set up for the morning check-in with Abrome’s remote Learners. Facilitator Lauren broke out some field guides and a couple Learners attempted to identify some nearby plants and insects, and a bird we saw last week. I had my meeting with the remote Learners, and found that that location was also not a great one for the hotspot.
After about an hour one of the Learners proposed we move to a more comfortable spot closer to the lake. As we walked we checked out a toad that didn’t seem to mind our presence. It was one of multiple occasions during the day when we stopped to admire animals that were out and about. Some of the other animals we checked out included turtles, tadpoles, and spiders. During our walk we stopped briefly to top off our water bottles before heading to our spot beneath a large pecan tree. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze and it seemed as though we could have spent our entire day there. But then the winds picked up and we decided that sitting under a pecan tree was not in the best interest of the group. We moved toward the edge of the water and set up under some sturdier trees. But because of a large number of ants at that location we scouted out a few other spots and finally settled on an area with shade, under sturdy trees, and with just a small handful of ants.
A Learner and I then decided we would give sitting on the dock a try, so we headed over and she began to crochet while I tried to build up the courage to jump in the cold water. Eventually the younger Learners and Facilitator Lauren also came over to the dock. While keeping our distance from each other we took in the beautiful weather and aesthetics. One of the younger Learners began to do some painting with water colors and Facilitator Lauren broke out her copy of Free to Learn and began to read.
One gentleman eventually came over to the dock to jump in the water, and we began to talk. Later another gentleman came over to do the same, along with his daughter and granddaughter. It turns out that the grown daughter planned on unschooling the granddaughter, so over the course of the next few hours everyone present had some great conversation about education and Self-Directed Education, and Abrome in particular. And I eventually jumped in the water. It was cold and refreshing.
Sitting on the dock; enjoying the day and enjoying each other
I eventually had to break away to host another call for remote Learners. We later came together for our afternoon meeting and then gathered up our things and moved back to the pickup location. In reflection it was a restful and enjoyable day. We got in some exercise, some personal time, some good sun, and lots of great conversation. Guardians of two of the Learners sent me emails that night expressing their appreciation for Abrome and the experience it is providing their Learners. And as we continue to settle in, I anticipate that we will get to see these Learners begin to take advantage of the time they have to go deeper in conversation, in thought, and into their own interests.