Day 85 of AY20-21: gearing up to be in-person again

Quickly moving toward risk stage level four

On Tuesday, February 9th, I woke up and looked at the latest Covid-19 indicators for Austin and saw that we were perhaps only a couple of days away from breaking into risk stage level four territory, at least according to daily hospital admissions. While most people focus on the downward trend I hope that they still recognize that we are in a worse place in Central Texas than we were at any other point in the pandemic other than at the heights of this wave and the summer wave, and that just because numbers are improving does not mean that community spread is not still taking place, nor that any single person who gets infected can seed a future superspreader event or even host the next mutation of the virus. That’s why we handed out N95s to our community, and that’s why even if we were to go to stage level four we would still be outdoors in small cells, mask up near each other, and have one cell of higher risk Learners remain remote.

Kinda big news

Facilitator Lauren opened the morning meeting by reviewing the community awareness board and then asking for announcements. A Learner jumped in and said that the city had just moved to pandemic risk stage level four, which means we can be together in-person again! People acknowledged that they saw the post she shared in Discord. I was shocked, as I did not think the city would move to stage level four quite yet, especially considering we do not know if Super Bowl parties may have served as superspreader events here in Central Texas. Nonetheless, it was pretty exciting news and I immediately began to draft an email to families to let them know that we would be in-person the next day!!

Back in the meeting, Facilitator Lauren’s prompt asked us what is something that we are excited about as we go back to in-person, and what is something that we will miss being remote, or are nervous about. The answers about what we were excited about were joyful: being with you, drawing, painting; seeing all of you and being in a cell with Facilitator Antonio; spontaneous conversations; bike rides and painting with Facilitator Lauren; playing outside; hanging [out]; getting back into a cycle or routine again; seeing friends; being Cuddle Buddies Ivan and Ingrid; hang out with each other again. One person passed since they will be remote even in stage level four. And the young Learner who said he was excited to paint with Facilitator Lauren assured Facilitator Ariel that he was still his homie. Cute because he’s an eight-year-old. There were fewer responses about what we will miss about being remote or are nervous about: the cold; no more coffee and read or free write offerings; no access to video games; playing Minecraft; being able to work on my [digital] art all the time; being at home; missing offerings; no more Among Us. Of course gaming will still be an option, just not the preferred option for most when we are able to be with each other outdoors.

If not Covid-19, inclement weather …

After the meeting I sent off the email to families saying we’d be in-person. Then I checked the weather for the next day. Oops. The weather was taking a turn for the worse and it seemed unlikely that we would be able to actually meet. When there is lightning we stay indoors. I immediately sent a follow up email saying that our meeting was dependent upon weather conditions, and that it did not look promising. What a downer.

High fives

Immediately following the morning meeting (that ran a few minutes over because of the excitement surrounding being able to be together again) I had two consecutive one-to-one check-ins with adolescent Learners, while Facilitator Lauren had a check-in with a young Learner. In my check-ins we focused on being back together again, and both Learners said they were happy that this remote period was coming to an end. One of them even said they were hyped. After the check-ins I moved right into the 7-minute workout with the usual crew, crushed it, and then we gave each other high fives before going our separate ways.

Coffee and read

Except I joined Facilitator Ariel for coffee and read, which has been a super relaxing and enjoyable offering that I wish some Learners would show up for. While I am not anti-gaming, I do wish that Learners would spend more of their time reading. To be fair, I did not read when I was growing up since I developed an aversion to it because of mandated reading in school, and maybe that is what is happening for the Abrome Learners who were formerly schooled. Nonetheless, the Facilitators have no problem modeling how enjoyable and enriching self-chosen reading is, and hopefully the previously schooled Learners will catch the bug.

Among Us

At 12:00 p.m. a Learner hosted his Among Us offering. He lobbied for folks to show up for the offering at the morning meeting, and on this day none of the Facilitators could join because we all had conflicts, so we were worried that none would show. Surprisingly, two Learners did show. At the same time Facilitators Ariel and Lauren both had one-to-one check-ins with adolescent Learners. The former check-in blew past the allotted time for the check-in. Different Learners need different levels of attention during the check-ins. Some check-ins only last five minutes, and some need to be cut off.

A great spot for a meet up during the pandemic

Facilitator Ariel then went to a park in central Austin to meet up with a recently enrolled Learner who has not found much benefit to the remote experience during stage level five. Like last week, Facilitator Ariel was able to connect more with the Learner in a short time in a park than in all the meetings that the Learner may have been able to attend in-person, if he would have attended in-person. The Learner said they were excited to be in person soon, and Facilitator Ariel agreed.

At the same time Facilitator Lauren was leading a yoga offering that would have the same number of Learners attending as my free write offering the following hour—zero. We cannot wait to be back in-person! I then had another one-to-one check-in with an adolescent Learner as did Facilitator Lauren. Afterward Facilitator Lauren had a support call with one of the guardians of a Learner to discuss some of their struggles with their non-Abrome child who was enrolled in a local progressive, conventional school. When talking to families about the struggles their other kids are having with school we do our best not to slam on the school and their schoolish ways, although it is hard, but Facilitator Lauren did the best she could.

The afternoon roundup was started at 3:30 p.m. by Facilitator Ariel. He reviewed the practices, opened up for announcements, and then we each shared one way we can carry over practices we've had during this remote experience back into the outdoors: setting alarms to keep myself on-time; practicing saying “let's focus” when conversation goes astray; actively listening; actively listening; commit to actively listening; actively listening; not talking over other people; meaningfully participate in meetings. All great practices and it is clear that actively listening is striking a chord. Unfortunately, only nine people showed up for the afternoon roundup. Did I mention we cannot wait to be in-person again?

Packing in the hopes of going outdoors

After the after action review by the Facilitators I got ready for my Agile Learning Centers book group discussion of Progressive Dystopia, the book that I was reading during the coffee and chat. The book has quite harshly exposed the shortcomings of so-called progressive attempts to humanize and turn an oppressive system into one of liberation, particularly for Black students. Many folks argue that we must work within the established systems if we want to free children, and I’ve long argued that power won’t allow that to happen. Progressive Dystopia shows how right I was, and how futile attempted liberation through oppressive systems is.

After the book group was over I began to pack for our first day of in-person since December, weather permitting!

Day 30 of AY20-21: already finished with two (of eleven) pandemic year cycles

Forecasted thunderstorms mandated our first half-day of the year

Friday was the final day of the second cycle of this first full pandemic academic year. My body was still recovering from the fall I took running the retaining wall on Monday, so I opted for a gentle morning walk with Cuddle Buddies Ingrid and Ivan instead of a run. I then checked the weather forecast and saw that thunderstorms were forecasted for the afternoon, so I called for a 1:00 p.m. early pickup for the first time this year. I updated the website, then sent messages to families via email and text, and updated the internal Facebook group and posted the change on Discord. After jumping on a zoom call for a writing session, I grabbed the Cuddle Buddies and all of my equipment and got out the door to get to the drop-off point early. When I arrived at the park I laid out my equipment and pulled out the Rubik’s cube I wanted to solve. I had printed out a guide that talked about the various algorithms that can be used to solve it, and I focused on memorizing the first couple of steps.

The first Learner to show up for the day showed up in a Halloween outfit. I had gotten a Discord message informing me that multiple Learners may dress up for our last day, but I had been so busy that morning I did not remember to pull together an outfit. I did not know what the Learner chose to dress up as, as other Learners began to filter in for the day. Two Learners got a stern look from the Learner who had dressed up when showed up without an outfit. One of the Learners assured her that he had an outfit in his bag, and that he would put it on later.

With the day being so short, only three hours instead of six, I wanted to get through the morning meeting and Check-in and Change-up meetings as quickly as possible. The Learners set limited intentions to go with the limited time we had for the day: swim, pet the dogs, socialize, ink, comic, meeting with Antonio, write, freetopia (twice), don’t die, and vibe. Ingrid chewed through her leash during the morning meeting.

After the morning meeting we went into the Check-in and Change-up where we did not retire the two awarenesses we were working on, but we did have a long debate over whether or not to add an awareness of people getting too close to each other during Covid-19. This conversation touched upon the risk of transmission if two people are in each other’s bubble with masks, and when they touch each other. The conversation also led into questions of informed consent. Specifically, if the Learners are not being vigilant about distancing (they are good on masking) should they be informing their family members so that they understand the added risk the Learners are taking on? The answer is yes. Although the awareness was not added to the Community Awareness Board, I expect that it will be revisited in the next cycle.

Spending some quality time with the Cuddle Buddies before the next cycle

We decided to spend our half day at the lake, and when we arrived everyone took up their usual spots. I reminded two Learners that we needed to meet for check-ins. The check-ins were short, with me just sharing one observation and asking them about preferences for the next cycle. One Learner wanted to maximize her time with Cuddle Buddies Ingrid and Ivan in case she was not in my cell for the next cycle. Over the next hour and a half she asked me lots of questions about the particular habits and histories of each dog, and then asked me to take a picture to post on Instagram.

Persephone

When I dropped by the dock to check on the other Learners, I saw the outfit the other Learner brought to wear. He did not want me to take a picture of his outfit, but the Learner who showed up in an outfit later did. When I asked what the outfit represented she told me it was Persephone. As I sat back down, with each Learner being fully engaged in their own thing, or in conversation with one another, I went back to toying around with the Rubik’s cube. With the guide I was able to solve it, finally.

Finally solved the Rubik’s cube

And all of a sudden the day, and the cycle was coming to a close. With so little time left it was apparent the Learners were not eager to shave off any time for the afternoon roundup. So we decided to do the afternoon roundup on the walk back to the pick-up location to save a bit of time. Halfway into the walk I stopped everyone and asked them to share one gratitude about anything they are thankful for in life. While there are always going to be bumps along the way in any community that centers the autonomy and needs of Learners, because freedom is messy, especially during a pandemic and away from the comforts of the indoors, I was touched by the gratitudes that were raised. Every one of them was gratitude for the other Learners at Abrome, or for their opportunity to be at Abrome. I hope they carry that with them into the next cycle.

Day 27 of AY20-21: active in the morning, vibing in the afternoon

On Tuesday I was looking to get the cell to move around a bit after a pretty sedentary day on Monday. Even though it was going to be a hot day I brought Cuddle Buddies Ingrid and Ivan, with the intention of getting them in the water to cool them down during the day. Two Learners were out for the day, and one was running late and missed the morning meeting, so I chose not to introduce the game that I had hoped we could play at the meeting. We decided that instead of heading straight to the lake that we would hike uphill to a spot that only a couple of us had been to. One Learner needed to go to the bathroom so while I waited on the Learner who was running late the other Learners went to the bathroom. It was not long after the Learners returned from the bathroom that the other Learner showed up, and we took off on our hike.

We walked slowly as two of the Learners brought their guitars, we had Ingrid and Ivan, and everyone had their usual equipment. During the walk I got to catch up a bit with the Learner who was leading us to our destination. When we arrived at our location one Learner found a spot to sit, I attached the Cuddle Buddies’ leashes to a tree and put out water for them so I could sit down, and the three other Learners inspected a structure that someone had built (one Learner said it was probably from a boy scout troop). Two of the Learners then decided that they would temporarily squat in the structure, and then decided that they would build a new structure. One Learner stood back and observed.

The Two Learners began to rip, pull, and kick at dead and fallen trees to build their structure. They tried working as a team, then they tried splitting up the task so that one was gathering wood while the other built the structure. I told them to be mindful of sticking their hands into rotting wood, and to please be careful with where they swing their wood when moving by those of us who were not involved in the activity. Soon enough there was disagreement about the quality of wood being collected and the way in which the structure was being built, so the Learners switched roles. The Learner who was standing back and observing grabbed a rock that he could use as a stone hand axe, and found his own way to contribute to the effort without actually dealing with the collecting of wood or building the structure. They made good progress on their structure, and were far more physically active than I had imagined they would be, but the task was a tall one and they did not finish. I broke out my lunch at 12:00 p.m., and they took their position in or around the structure they had found.

Taking a break after a hard morning’s work

After we finished eating we decided to head down to the lake. We stopped briefly at the drop-off location so that we could refill water bottles (two of us did) and then moved toward the lake. One Learner took Ivan while I took Ingrid. As we came around the corner near the small pedestrian bridge over a creek that leads into the lake, we once again saw the water moccasin that apparently really likes to hang out right next to the trail. Venomous snakes typically are not going to be a problem because they want nothing to do with us humans. Unfortunately, Ivan wants everything to do with everything that moves. He immediately moved toward the snake while I asked the Learner who was walking him to pull him back, which was challenging because her hands were full and because she was not used to the leash (a retractable one).

When we arrived at the lake, a Learner set up under some trees, as did I and the two dogs, and three of the Learners took up their usual spot on the dock. Already on the dock was an EMT who was relaxing and listening to music, and the Learners soon got into a conversation with him. The Learner under the trees was focused on inking her comic that she had been working on for much of this cycle, and I pulled out my copy of Raising Free People and read the foreword and the first chapter.

Guitar lessons on the dock

I stayed away from the dock most of the afternoon, only approaching to let the Learners know when little kids were around so they could be mindful of the language they were using. In addition to just being together, two of them were practicing their guitar playing. On shore I was worried about Ivan and Ingrid overheating so a Learner and I tried to coax them into the water. Each was very apprehensive of getting in as neither of them have ever swam in water before. Eventually I picked each one up and gently placed them in a shallow area of the lake and held them as they went into a natural doggy paddle. I was more thrilled about their progress than they were. The Learner who was helping me then decided she wanted to wade in the lake herself. I then took Ivan over to a deeper part of the lake where he couldn’t just paddle over to a shore to walk up, and set him in. But this time he did not gracefully doggy paddle. He panicked. And in his panic he was exerting tremendous energy to stay above water in a way that was completely counterintuitive based on how effortlessly he doggy paddled before. So I took him back over to the shallow part of the lake to remind him that he could effortlessly swim, again. I then jumped into the water myself, from the top of the boathouse, to cool off.

Our time together ran out quickly, and at 3:30 p.m. we came back together again for our afternoon roundup. We did rose-bud-thorn to reflect on our day, and we reviewed how we did on our practices. Even in this still hot weather, we are not drinking enough water, although our masking and social distancing practices are going fairly well. I then asked each Learner to tell me what they felt the culture of Abrome was. One Learner asked me to be more specific as to what culture was. After a short discussion about culture the Learners gave their answers (I’m paraphrasing): community, open-minded, “vibing,” and no social hierarchies. After that we packed up, checked to make sure we were not leaving anything behind, and then walked out of the park for the day.

This Learner has really missed the Cuddle Buddies, and is excited they're at Abrome today. * #abrome #emancipatedlearning #selfdirectededucation #dogsofinstagram #doglovers #cuddlebuddies #atx #alternativestoschool #leavetheschoolhousebehind #outdoorlearning #getoutsideandplay

Day 19 of AY20-21: another day at the lake

Going outdoors for this year was an exciting prospect for the Abrome Facilitators, but some of the Learners were not entirely thrilled about it. My concern was that hot weather at the beginning of the year and then dropping temperatures and rain come the fall would turn off some of the Learners from attending regularly, particularly those who have not spent much time outdoors. And if they were picky about attending during this October cycle, then they would not acclimate to the dropping temperatures and then find themselves at home far too often in the winter. And irregular attendance when we have such small operating cells due to the pandemic makes it more difficult for other Learners to regularly show up. And if people are not showing up then it kind of defeats the purpose of a Self-Directed Education community. So this October cycle is kind of a big deal in helping the Learners get comfortable with acclimating to shifting temperatures so that they can be there for each other in the winter. And this October cycle is kind of terrible, because the weather has been so perfect!

Cuddle buddies Ivan and Ingrid joined us for the first time this cycle

Wednesday was just another gorgeous day to be in nature. I suppose it is not the worse thing in the world for the skin to be producing vitamin D and to have the opportunity to jump in the water each day. We started our Wednesday off at our usual meet up location. One Learner decided to take the day off but the other Learners all planned to show up. With one Learner running late, again, we gathered in a dew-drenched field of grass. I asked if anyone wanted to be the game master for the meeting, and no one volunteered. So I tried something new and asked everyone to get on one knee in a circle, and I got cut off pretty quickly, with one person asking if we could reconsider me being the game master. So we shifted to a standing position and held a fairly brief meeting.

After the meeting we talked about where we wanted to go for the day and more people wanted to go to the lake than anywhere else, because they wanted to get in the water, and no one really had an objection to that. I asked if we could take at least a somewhat circuitous route to the lake and the Learners agreed, although one Learner really wanted to head straight to the bathroom so Katie peeled off with her and the rest of us began taking the slightly longer path. At that point the Learner that was running late showed up and jumped into my group, and it took us about ten minutes to make our way to the lake.

After arriving at the lake, two of the adolescent boys said they were interested in going on a hike, and seeing as one of my intentions was to go on a hike, but I have not had the opportunity to do so yet this cycle, I asked if I could join them. Then came the awkward realization that these are adolescent boys and they wanted to go on a hike to get away from the adults! One of them said they were okay with me going if the other one was. And the other one just shrugged his shoulders. I put an end to the awkward moment by giving them a walkie talkie and telling them to enjoy their hike. After all, there were some Learners hanging back at the lake that could still take a hike with me.

This Learner is playing with a guitar that was gifted to her by the father of another Learner

One of those Learners had brought her father’s old guitar to give to another Learner who is learning how to play. The Learner who received the guitar got into a nice conversation with Katie and then tuned her guitar, while the other Learner got lost in one of her projects. I asked each if they wanted to go on a hike but both said no. I spoke to Katie about the challenge of needing to stay present and with the Learners (especially younger Learners or those with additional needs) when we are all alone as a Facilitator with a cell, so this week would be a great week to be able to take off on a hike while the other Facilitator stayed back with Learners who needed support, but how I feel a responsibility to only go on hikes with Learners instead of by myself. Almost as if I went on a hike by myself it would be self-indulgent. And that I hoped that at least one of the Learners would want to go on a hike with me on Thursday or Friday.

We are thrilled to add this Learner’s book to the Abrome library

While we sat near the lake and engaged in our various activities, to include petting Cuddle Buddies Ivan and Ingrid who I brought out for the first time this cycle, the Learners who went on a hike would periodically come back to drop off some flowers as part of an ongoing ‘flower war’ that they were participating in. Unlike the prior two days, the adolescent boys did not stay away from the rest of the group for most of the day, returning before noon. The then moved toward the dock and the Learner who was playing around with the guitar joined them. The other Learner gave me a copy of the book she just had published and we had a long conversation about the various tendencies and behaviors of each of the two Cuddle Buddies.

It was not long before one of the Learners decided it was time to jump in the water. She took off on a run down the dock, in much the same way as I did the day before, but she successfully landed in the water without a painful back splat. And her entry in the water slowly pulled the rest of the group toward the water. One Learner got changed into swimming clothes she brought with her and waded in. Another Learner who insisted that he would never get in the water ended up jumping in. And later I took a dip. It was refreshing, as always to jump in the water, and it was refreshing to see these Learners taking advantage of the opportunity in the warm October sun.

One Learner painting another Learner’s arm; they are masked up

The rest of the day revolved around people talking, people swimming, and people just enjoying being around each other and the Cuddle Buddies. There was a conversation about all the zebra clams attached to the dock and a lot of splashing around in the water. There was joking about the possibility of seeing water snakes (not funny, a Learner reminded me), smearing of charcoal on faces and arms (I don’t know why), playing with a pocket knife (and being reminded of knife safety), and one Learner allowing another Learner to paint a copy of his necklace on his skin (a washable tattoo). I had some longer conversations with Katie about Self-Directed Education and issues around race and equity in education, and many of us spent a good amount of time just enjoying being outdoors on such a beautiful day.

Unexpectedly, one of the Learners did see a snake. It was a Learner who was already uncomfortable with the idea of snakes in or near the water, so I am not quite sure if he will be jumping back in the water anytime soon. It was clear that the snake was not interested in being around us, though.

We held our afternoon roundup at the dock where many of us spent our day. A Learner offered to be the game master and then led us through the meeting where we once again used rose-bud-thorn to share how we felt about the day. It was a really great day for us individually, and for many of us in terms of connection, but I am still hopeful that we will find more ways to be mindful about recognizing the needs of others and supporting those needs. And while I enjoyed the conversations with Katie, I am hoping that I can gain some trust of some of the adolescents, and that they will let down their guard to have some deeper conversations with me.

Abrome Weekly Update: August 28, 2017

Introducing Ivan & Ingrid! Abrome Weekly Update: August 13, 2017