I’m still running around town taking “field trips” to schools and organizations as part of my sabbatical. I thought it’d be fun to focus here on some of the most memorable aspects from those visits. Plus, it’s Friday, another beautiful fall day, and I’m meeting a friend on the golf course soon, so let’s make this quick!
In no particular order, here are some new places I’ve been:
- The Sacred Sites Tour with Our People, Our Stories, a Twin Cities Travel and Tour Agency. Every Minnesotan ought to sign up for this 4-hour tour through the metro to learn the non-textbook side of the Indian Burial Mounds in Mendota, the caves along the Minnesota River, Minnehaha Falls and Park, and Fort Snelling. One of the two most memorable aspects were the fact that out of 37 original burial mounds just 6 remain and only one of these remains unexcavated and intact, as well as the suspect attribution that the mounds were from the “Hopewellian Culture” when it was specifically Dakota people who occupied the area. The smudging ceremony that the Ojibwe guide Sonja Tanner led us in at the end was profound as we were in the midst of Dakota descendant families’ self-made memorials to their ancestors at Snelling.
- John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Mo. Those who know me can correctly assume I was in town as a parent to my college daughter, but what a great excuse to spend a day visiting this 6-12 independent school. I got to visit two classes and meet with three teachers and administrators. What stood out for me? Logistics! Their school day meets until 4:00 pm, so they have plenty of time for important academic and developmental pursuits (their middle-schoolers do not participate in JV or Varsity sports & the advantages of that was a super interesting conversation with Julie Harris, MS Director).
- St. Paul Academy & Summit School. Our Blake friends and rivals, whom we share much in common with was interesting to me for the English studio classes, organized around a workshop model. I enjoyed a full-day there, and have quite a few notes, but the simplest thing stands out in my memory: their amazing, student-centered schedule, which has just three academic classes a day, 85-minutes in length, rotating on a 6-day schedule. And these three classes are never back-to-back; they alternate with shorter specials, advisories, and electives. It’s a thing of beauty for 12-14 year olds.
- Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis. This K-8 magnet school is part of the Mpls Public School District and was notable for its diverse student body and early start time (7:30!), but even more importantly and most memorable was Amber Damm’s 7th & 8th 29 student Language Arts class where rigor and engagement were evident, social justice issues were front and center, and the transitions between activities were seamless. It was impressive.
- CREW Program at Pillsbury House + Theater. This after-school program for 6-8th graders is service-based and dynamic. Its coordinator Mesgana Tesfahun is impressively organized and prepared for any variables, such as inconsistencies in attendance numbers and the whims of middle-schoolers’ interests. Most notable is their Tuesday program called Kwanzaa Kitchen where they plan, prepare, serve and clean-up dinner. In addition to monthly dinners for families and a November community event called Harvest Festival, they recently had one of the kids win a recent Super Bowl-sponsored contest for writing about their communal cooking. I’m invited to their celebration of his success next Tues evening, and I’m looking forward to being a part of this group in action.
If you’re interested, contact me for more specific information on any of these; I’d love to talk further! For now, I’m off to spend time in the fleeting warmth and color of October. And I’ll be off to Australia in just a handful of days! My next entry/ies will share about my time there…can’t wait!
Beyond Bells 