It’s May and some of us are calling mayday! While we plod along and get excited about the performances of our work, the world goes on all around us. Some examples:
There is a lot to feel distressed about. But sometimes we dive into our work to feel like we can have a part, a hand, in changing things. To be an educator now, to be an educator ever, means I have a big job. Sometimes, I say my job is to expand each person’s heart container (or increase their capacity to empathize). Other times I talk about how the evolution of humankind is my job (you may have heard me say this), and we are getting better little by little through learning about perspectives outside of our own. Young people bring a lot of new perspectives. My kid is in his dino phase. Dinosaurs lived for about 165 million years. For my human mind, it is so hard to conceptualize one million years much less 165 million. How evolved are we? And how much do our individual lives matter? I have to believe that we matter enough to keep trying. As Neil deGrasse Tyson says: humans are just one blade of grass on the football field that is the expanse of time that we know about. Within a human lifetime, and with these moments where we dive in and try to do just one thing in this moment, we’ve seen growth. Pilot students are not the same in September as they are in June. Come to our exhibitions May 29th - June 11th, you’ll see. |
Pilot has given me the fuel to pursue my passions. I don’t think I ever would have started writing without pilot. It has shown me that, while meeting the system requirements is important, it’s also important to strive for self improvement and progression towards my dreams. It’s given me the tools I need to continue that journey towards hopefully becoming an author. I feel that pilot has changed my trajectory in life towards what I am truly passionate about. - COLE |
I’ve known since the beginning of my time in Pilot that this was a year of my life I would never forget. This year has impacted me by fostering a genuine desire to be curious, creative, and proud of my work. For my future years as a teacher I will continue to look back to my time in Pilot for advice on how I can create a supportive environment that changes students’ lives the way Pilot has changed mine. - AGNES |
Wilder: | Peter: |
Izzy: | Nathaniel: |
Vivi: | Lilli: |
Valentine: | Savannah: |
Elaina: | Jack: |
Amy: | Cole: |
^ Vivi makes great art progress At one point this week I was referencing this quote from John Cage here on the right. I was talking to Elaina, and I said, "You're creating, you're not doing the other thing." On the other side of the room, Savannah was tickled by this. She wrote it down. Savannah enjoys how "the other thing" can be anything, like shoveling or doing pre-calc. An example of a little Pilot room magic. | This week ^ we learned some lessons from John Cage. A well deserved TFIG everyone. Enjoy. See you next time. Be well, amyK |
< one of chris blackburn's favorite poems |