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 26 of AY20-21: staying in place

Last week was a week of moving around as most Learners were jumping in the water and swimming and going on hikes. The first day of week three of this cycle was the opposite, we mostly stayed in one place for much of the day. The day started out with Learners trickling in from 9:30 - 10:00 a.m., filling out their intentions, and chatting with each other. Three of the Learners decided to include ‘not die’ in their intentions. We moved out to the field for the morning meeting and in about five minutes we covered a prompt and the practices we were going to focus on that day. During announcements, I offered to discuss a New York Times article (that I had not yet reviewed) about white supremacy at 1:00 p.m., as one Learner asked me what white supremacy was last week, and another Learner and I talked about white supremacy in the military. Then we moved onto a charades-like game, where two Learners needed to act out a scene for everyone else to guess. There were no teams or points being awarded, however, if no one could figure out the scene, the pair would get another turn. It was a pretty fun game, except one Learner got a bunch of bug bites on his legs after pretending to be a worm in one skit.

After everyone got their shot to perform in a scene, including me, the Learners decided they wanted to head straight to the lake. During the walk to the lake I checked in with a Learner to see how she was doing and to hear how progress was going with the comic she was working on. When we arrived at the lake some Learners headed straight for the dock where they planted themselves, and the rest of us found spots beneath the trees in the shade. The weather was beautiful and it was getting warm quickly, so I assumed that Learners would soon be jumping in the water.

I set up in my chair and had planned to dive into Akilah S. Richards’ Raising Free People in preparation for a discussion with Akilah on the Agile Learning Centers weekly book group meeting, the next evening. Then one of the Learners came over to chat with me about the causes of schizophrenia (genetic or environment), and that conversation led into a discussion of the ways that we can change our lifestyles that can help tilt the odds in favor or away from a wide range of diagnoses and outcomes. I then checked in on the Abrome and ALF Slack channels and before I knew it I hadn’t read anything and it was time for the conversation on white supremacy.

Some Learners opted into a discussion about White Supremacy

Two Learners opted in, and I began to read the article to them. Because we were socially distanced and I had a mask on, reading the article to them was harder than I anticipated. Next time I will bring printouts for others to read. There were a few question along the way, such as, “why is July 4th a white supremacist holiday?” In our discussion we went on some tangents, debated whether white supremacy was the appropriate phrase to use to describe the systems that exist (the article revolved around whether the word was appropriate or effective), and then I heard out their frustrations about racism in society and how unfair it is.

Can you find the water moccasin?

Other than that, the Learners spent most of the day talking to each other or working on their own projects. I spent some of my time just observing what was around me. I saw squirrels darting around with acorns, beetles fighting or procreating, turtles sunning, fish jumping, and flies and ants occasionally coming to say hello to me. At one point I went back to the drop-off location to refill my water bottle, and on the way back, staring into my phone, I was startled by something moving just off the trail to my left. I assumed I had startled a squirrel but I jumped back a little when I saw a large snake sitting there. He wanted as little to do with me as I did him, and he began to move away from the trail and toward the water. I squatted down to get a better look at him and by the shape of his head I thought that maybe it was a water moccasin (it was). When I returned to the lake I shared my story with the Learners and they said that it sounded like one of the snakes they came across on Friday.

A less imposing snake the Learners stumbled upon on Friday

As the day was winding down I was able to read some of my book, but 3:30 p.m. came quickly, so we vacated the dock and held our meeting in the field, with the sun beating down on us. We reviewed our day and our practices, and saw room for improvement on both the staying hydrated and social distancing related awarenesses. After the meeting, two of us decided to run along the retaining wall again. The first Learner took off and made it about half way before losing her balance and jumping away from the lake. I then gave it a shot and made it about a third of the way when I hit a wet part of the wall and my feet gave out from under me and I flew forward, landing on my butt, but somehow not falling in the lake. It was graceful, I’m sure, and I had quite an audience. Maybe a day of staying in place wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Day 25 of AY20-21: we have a new game at Abrome

Friday ended a short second week of our second cycle at Abrome during this pandemic-academic year. It is amazing how quickly time seems to be flying while we are outdoors. I still haven’t been in the same cell as three other Learners, the other Facilitators also haven’t been able to share a cell with some Learners, and all the Learners have yet to meet some Learners, as well. We are both finding our footing as a community outdoors, and still finding our way as newbies.

For the week, the other cell spent a lot more time at the swimming hole they discovered the prior week. Five of the Learners went on a hike. The younger Learners fashioned brooms out of nature materials to clear out a space for their forest hideout club/academy, where several meetings have already occurred. Two Learners brought their doggo Hunter on Friday. They also discovered a deer carcass on Friday, which was an intense learning experience for sure.

Two sets of Learners head out on separate hikes

My cell spent this week doing a wide variety of things, although our home base was primarily by the lake. Hiking and swimming were some of the more popular activities this week. On Monday we hiked to the top of the hill for our morning meeting, and then as the week went on four different Learners and I all went on a couple of hikes. Most everyone jumped in the lake to wade or swim, with several Learners jumping off the roof of the dock or the roof of the boat house, as well. On Thursday we even held our afternoon roundup where all but one was in the water. A couple of us spent time reading in the sun, and two Learners spent time writing—journaling or writing comics. A Learner and I helped edit some of the journaling Learner’s writings. Some Learners created charcoal paint for body paint and washable graffiti. We caught a skink, played with mud, and had a long conversation on how Covid-19 is transmitted.

Our CAB is portable this year

We had a full crew on Friday, as we have had for much of the cycle. We tend to have more fun on days when everyone shows, and Friday was no exception. We held our Check-in and Change-up meetings after a brief morning meeting that was led by one of the Learners. The Check-in and Change-up resulted in three fewer awarenesses than the prior week, as we collectively agreed that we felt good about the practices around those awarenesses. We added one practice to the Community Awareness Board (CAB) to assist us with one of the awarenesses we are still going to work on.

One Learner was running late while the other Learners wanted to head to the lake to start the day. We had a conversation about whether we should go to the lake and trust that the Learner would figure out that we headed there, or if we should wait for the Learner. It was an interesting conversation that pitted people’s personal wants with consideration for another Learner’s feelings. The debate was settled when one Learner said that if he showed up late and no one was around that he might assume Abrome was cancelled for the day.

Working on a comic

I expected a slower day on Friday based on the Learners’ intentions. Two said freetopia, one said don’t die, while the others had primarily sedentary intentions (e.g., chill on the dock, finish comic, talk to another Learner, edit book, listen to music, rest). But perhaps most powerfully was “not hike.” That did not last long around other Learners though, as four of the Learners decided to go off on two separate hikes. The Learners came back a few times but spent much of the next couple of hours exploring. Before they left I asked to meet with two of them at 1:00 p.m. for a check-in. I set up relatively close to the Learners who stayed back to write, and one of them eventually wandered over for a long conversation about a range of topics. The other Learner was focused on the comics she was writing.

Fortunately the only thing that fell was completion times

Just before 1:00 p.m., two of the Learners came back from their hike, and we somehow found our way to the retaining wall that runs along the lake. And for some reason we decided it would be fun to move from one corner to another on a path that curved around a tree and at some point slopes heavily (45 degrees) toward the lake. Soon enough, the other two Learners returned and joined in. We started walking, jogging, and then running the short route as a game, to see how fast we could navigate from one point to another without falling in. It was a mix of exhausting and exhilarating, as the need for speed coupled with the fear of injury or falling into the lake really tested us. It was remarkable how much time we shaved off as we got faster and bolder with each successive try. Fortunately no one fell in, and we stayed dry the entire day (no one jumped in the water for the first time this week).

One should never feel too old to make mud pies

I got to sit down and meet with both of the Learners I had hoped to talk to. In one of the meetings we addressed a sensitive topic that is likely going to need to be revisited in the future. Some Learners went back to making mud pies, some went on another hike, and one Learner asked me to play the game Should I or Shouldn’t I which helps people think through various social situations. Normally we fully agree what is the most appropriate course of action on any given scenario, but there was one that we did not agree on. “A friend has a fear of snakes. You think it would be funny to see their reaction to finding a snake, so you stick a rubber snake in their bag and wait for the laughs. Should I, or shouldn’t I?” The joy of such a prank was too much to let go. I will be very careful when opening my bag from now on.

Response to NYT Article Advocating For More Schooling to Curb Risky Behavior

This morning I read "Worried About Risky Behavior? Make School Tougher" in the New York Times. Here's my very quick response. 

This terrible article highlights how worthless researchers can be when they ignore context. Basically, the researchers argue that students get marginal reductions in drug use as school swallows up their childhood. The more oppression we place on the children, the less (marginally, again) risky behavior they engage in.

But they cannot imagine a world where children are not oppressed. They take it as a given that children must be harmed. They cannot imagine that children do not need to be subjected to standardized, coercive curriculum and the harmful practices and structures of schooling for 180 days a year, for 13 years of their youth.

Risky behavior is often a response to environmental cues. What does school teach young people? That there is a right answer. That there is a right path. And if you stay on that path all your problems will be solved. But students learn in school that it is not so easy to stay on the right path because to be on the right path they have to do everything everyone else demands of them, and nothing that they want to do. To be on the right path they have to be perfect for the adults, and they have to step on their peers to get to the top. And guess who can do that? Only one person in any given school (and then they go to college where they compete against a bunch of other people who did the same). School environments resign people to the lie that they cannot lead exceptional and remarkable lives.

If you really want to reduce risky behavior you allow young people to develop their own interests, develop executive functioning skills, and find purpose in their lives, you allow them to take meaningful risks as opposed to having to find an outlet for their natural adolescent risk seeking desires.

The article gets one thing right. Students who spend more time on schoolwork have less time to do other things. They have less time develop meaningful relationships. They have less time to develop their social skills. They have less time to pursue their interests. They have less time to develop meaning within their lives. They have less time to develop mastery in areas they care about. They have less time to sleep. They have less time to understand who they are. They have less time to actually educate themselves.

We can do better. Unlike these publication obsessed researchers who want to ignore context, we can actually focus on the context. And schooling is a harmful context. Change the context.

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Photo Credit: Alex Wroblewski/The New York Times