For better or worse, I am not that easy to impress. I have been working on saying, "great work!" more often because I say it too much in my head with our vocalizing it. Everyone is usually just getting started in October but this year there is something clicking. Starting to work on the learning plan while doing the work on the plan is what we always push. How can you tell if it's a good plan unless you try it out? There is some spell taking foot and it is called TRYING. Well, maybe it's TRYING and LEANING IN. I see you diving in and doing it and showing off the results. This is still beginning project work, but it’s really good beginning project work because it’s brave, interesting, and courageous. Pilot students are really bringing it so far this year. Yes! I am so into this. Today we saw presentations from three of the first year Pilot students, that talked about what they’ve done over the past two weeks. Lilli, Peter, and Jack have very different projects and at least one thing in common: they’ve all leaned into their work, looking at human behavior, art history, economics and algebra, respectively. All with curiosity and some real excitement. It’s easy to tell when someone is doing something that they really care about, right? I mean, you’re not fooling us if you’re not showing up to the work. There is a little sense of nervousness (hear that voice in your head that says, “oh no, I really care about this and this is really a piece of me that I’m putting out there and I am nervous to share it because if they don’t like it then it means that they don’t like me.”) HOT TIP: we like it because it is you and we can see you in it. It’s evident when these projects are engaging and when the learning is becoming embodied knowledge. This is not material that they are learning about to pass the test. It’s clear when these students care about knowing the things they are learning and want to carry it with them. How wonderful to see this in October! Another fantastic thing: Camille Johnson who was in the first Pilot class 10 years ago is now being a mentor to Izzy Giammusso, who is in her 4th semester as a Pilot person. This is going so splendidly. You’ll be hearing more about this for sure. Today I would like to share a bit from a podcast that Camille suggested Izzy listen to as part of their weekly meeting agenda. In this piece from OnBeing with Krista Tippett in conversation with Ann Hamilton: MS. TIPPETT: Hmm. That makes me think of something that’s disconnected, but it was just on my mind. Somebody I interviewed years ago, Jean Vanier, who created these communities around the world that are centered around people with mental disabilities. MS. HAMILTON: Yes. MS. TIPPETT: And he talked about the reason he believes that so many of us are so uncomfortable with people with disabilities, that we all walk around, all the time, you know, trying to hide whatever’s wrong with us, or whatever we think is wrong with us, and that the people who have — who carry their, you know, their flaws on the outside are terrifying… MS. HAMILTON: Right. MS. TIPPETT: …because we spend so much energy trying to keep that to ourselves. Here comes an invitation related to this snippet of an interview from 2014. In Pilot you are invited to really be yourself. There is no topic too banal to engage with here, no freak flag too freaky. The important thing is that your topic fires you up. That you really care. Showing up as your true self and digging in is hard. Our flaws and missteps can guide us and if you are willing to show those and let us know what’s honestly going on with your project work, you will flourish. Not there yet? Haven’t said, “Yes!” to the invitation? There is still time. And the time is to get going. When the line between what is your life and what is school starts to blur you are on the right track. This time that you have is precious. Make the most of it. We invite you to be you (and to also organize a good project plan, keep a calendar, show up, be kind, and do the work.) It will feel hard sometimes, and when it does you know you are doing something right. I’ve seen some of you digging in and doing this already and it makes my big ol’ teacher heart sing. Let’s keep going. Let’s get going. We’re doing this. Today we will feature some of the work from the presentations we’ve seen so far. Next time you’ll hear from everyone else: “Now, models can give us some pretty good guesses, but they are a vast simplification of human behavior. After all, we aren’t all rational actors looking out for only our own self-interest. There are thousands of tiny factors that impact the decisions we make each day -- cultural values, emotions, and beliefs. So while we can theorize about the best systems with philosophies, and test those philosophies with mathematical models, we also must examine what’s going on in the world around us. We can study the booms and recessions, which businesses fail and which succeed, and how government interventions change the game. The real world is messy and doesn’t abide by rigid formulae, so we have to learn by observation.” -- Jack Thompson Last Judgement Giotto Di Bondone c.1306 (Hell section) Analysis - This is another of the fresco murals in the Arena Chapel, this scene is actually a small piece of a HUGE painting that covers an entire wall of the chapel (I’d like to analyse and critique the painting as a whole, but it really is big and very detailed, so that’ll have to wait for another week). This section of the painting depicts hell. People who have “rejected god’s saving grace”, the damned, are seen passing on to the afterlife, their naked bodies fall and are dragged down to hell by blue demons, where they’re beaten and tortured. In the middle of it all sits the Prince of Hell, a large blue monster sitting on a dragon, eating the people. Giotto’s hell is dark, and blue, making it look cold and miserable. This is very far off from the modern description of a hell full of flames, but as long as it’s a place of eternal punishment, it’s Catholic hell. Personal Critique - I LOVE this painting. Maybe I’m too much of a stickler for demon art, but I really can’t get enough of it. Also there he is back at it again with the blue. This painting has so much detail, you can’t see it super well in the photo but each body has movement and emotion. You can tell which ones are falling, which are in pain, which are limp. You kind of have to appreciate that. Also, I can’t help but be reminded of The Garden of Earthly Delights, which Hieronymus Bosch painted more than 200 years later, another painting of someone’s interpretation of paradise and hell. This is definitely my favorite Giotto piece that I’ve seen so far. -- Peter Bongiovanni One more thing from that Ann Hamilton interview where she said: And so, how do you kind of cultivate a space that allows you to dwell in that not knowing, really? ...if you can let yourself fail, if you can let yourself be really bad, if you can take the risk...look awkward, then you can do a whole lot of other things after that. Yeah.
Because we don’t want you to know it all yet, but instead, know that there is a lot to know and that you’ve begun the journey. Listen to Kay: go after the thing that intimidates you, find the thing that you wish you could do and do that. Be well, amyK
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It's been so nice to see everyone in person over the past two weeks. Well, almost all of you! Remote learners I see you too. While we can make it work only seeing each other remotely, there is something special about the unplanned conversation and the connections that can be made in the Pilot room... they are priceless. I am really excited to see what will develop from the seeds you are planting right now. In the beginning when we are balancing between the tasks of getting going and making a learning plan, it can seem like a lot. Here's a tip. Make your work. Try something. Dig in. Learn to immerse yourself in process and exercise. The final product idea is the spark that takes you on a creative and critical journey -- and you don’t know what the outcome will be. Invite and allow discovery! (this last statement came from a planning meeting I had with Iona and her mentor Sayward... but truly, it applies to all of us.) We've been soliciting advice from some of our Pilot Alumni to celebrate the 10th year of the Pilot program at U-32. Maya and Wyatt Mashkuri are here first to offer you some tips as you get going.
Stay curious! We made it to break. We've been busy. Here is what we've been up to. Madison: Podcast questions about tradition and modernity
BRUCE: All issues that exist with human rights are going to end solely because of my presence at the Human Rights Commission. Similarly to how I single handedly ended all issues with hate by getting C27 passed, human rights violations will be cancelled. COLE: In Sanderson’s first lecture, he talks about what steps someone should take if they want to become a better writer. Consistency. The only way to become a good writer or have a chance of becoming a professional writer is simply to do it. So obviously my project work is helping with that. I also love reading and that in turn fuels my writing. Telling stories is (I think) one of the most important things we do as humans. To be able to show a story or a thing from my brain to someone who doesn’t know me. To make someone feel something from characters that aren’t real. This is why I want to write, to give someone the same experience I have had from stories. Iona: My hands look like murder when she walks away. There’s a face on the floor. A knot in the pine planks. It’s looking at me, wide eyes and an open mouth. It’s scared and screaming that I don’t belong here anymore. I don’t belong here anymore. Here where everything looks like her except me. Her eyes, her hair, her head under the faucet. My hand on her chin, my hand in her hair, my eyes on her face. Her fork in my mouth. Her words in my ear. Our bodies in her bed. And when she sleeps, Addie holds herself and the person next to her. This is the closest she gets to being herself. Small, curled up like a dog or a child, trusting. I’ll be the stain on her shirt and she’ll be the bags under by eyes, pain in my chest, heavy like guilt but it’s okay. Because the sheets are soft and it smells warm here. Like fresh laundry and dust, this could be my home too. Vivi: Aesthetic beauty and morality are strongly linked in most folk tales. This quote, from the beauty and the beast sums this up well, “The youngest, as she was handsomer, was also better than her sisters.” (De Villeneuve 1) Generally speaking, beautiful women are good, kind and hard working, and ugly women are lazy, cruel and bad. There are occasionally exceptions, in that there are beautiful women who are evil, but there are never good women who are ugly. It’s a trend we can also see in modern media, there are TV shows with mediocre or conventionally unattractive male protagonists, but I can’t think of a single popular TV show with even an average looking female lead character. I think most everyone is aware that as a culture we have placed an inordinate amount of weight on beauty in women throughout our history, and continue to do so today, and of course it’s something I have been aware of for a long time, but this has served as a reminder of why ideas about beauty and appearance are so deeply ingrained in our minds. Ana : would like the clothes you don't need anymore. Bring them in on Thursday March 5th. Ashlynn: is a fungi Fungi is a 1 billion-year-old ecosystem that diverged from protists. Scientists today believe that there are over 1.5 billion species of fungi, yet we only know about 1000,000 of them. Yeast is a common fungus that is very prevalent in our everyday lives, it’s used in our wine, beer, and bread. Fungi can be very helpful and necessary, but can also be a very invasive and deadly ecosystem. Fungi are responsible for all types of diseases from athletes foot to histoplasmosis, which is known as spelunkers lung, caused by a fungus found in bird and bat feces. Penicillin, which is deprived of penicillium fungi, became the first mass produced antibiotic in the 1940s. Fungi are vital for the earth to thrive, without fungi there would be no way for anything to decompose on earth. Ultimately Fungi creates life out of dead matter, and keeps the cycle of life turning. Have a restful and productive break! Be well, amyK This week has been consumed (for me) by the search for our new Superintendent. It’s been intense. TGIF feels like a really real statement after working four 13 to 14 hour days in a row. The educational leader of our community can have a big impact. I am really glad I got to be on this hiring committee and give my input, even though half way through the week it was a bit brutal. There are a few things that I learned while listening to people talk about their educational philosophy, leadership style, how they work with the school board, relationships with teachers and students, equity, and budgets. It’s a big job. Here’s how it relates to what we do in the Pilot. There is a big difference between theory and practice. I started to learn this when I started teaching 12 years ago. Improvisation was a skill that I needed to develop as a new teacher. Everyday I came in prepared with my lessons and then 18 people would join me, bringing their whole life experience with them, and I had to make adjustments. I had to be prepared (I wasn’t a few times and that felt so bad that I now make every effort to be ready) and I also had to be able to attune to how people were showing up in the moment. I am still practicing this but my skills in the area of teacher improv have improved immensely. This happens with our project work. When you've chosen to study something you are passionate about, there is always more to know. My advice: keep practicing. Say what you’re going to do and then do it. There were some people that we interviewed that talked a lot of jargon. Of course, it is easier to say, “all students can learn” and "I look at everything through an equity lens" than it is to create a school community where that is actually happening and reflected in daily actions. The more visionary candidates made claims about what makes good education and then for the rest of the interview they demonstrated that they really know and practice those very things. Be efficient by demonstrating efficiency. Be compassionate by showing compassion. Make a goal and then show you tried. My advice: have a vision ands how up to it over and over again. we summited!
A snippet from Seminar:
I am looking forward to what happens with the deepening and expanding of the Pilot projects that will happen in the coming weeks. We've been meeting with Meg Allison our research librarian and specialist in information gathering. Thanks to Meg for dedicating so much of her week to helping us out!
Last but not least! Keep your eye out for future Piloteers! We're starting to put our feelers out for those that would be a good fit for Pilot next year. My goal is 25 applications! Please help me identify students that could benefit from learning outside the conventional classroom. But isn't that everyone? Be well, amyK We have reached the end of the Semester! After twelve hours of exhibition time, I am noticing a theme: there is always more to learn. Whether it is content, a communication skill, a getting-it-done attitude, or a way to ask a better question, we are continuing to look for ways to improve. The best exhibitions have a good balance between teaching us about the content of the project work and explaining what the road looked like getting there. Often it was bumpy. But bumpy rides make good stories and good learning. Making sure you have a robust support team along for the ride is also important. Bumpy roads can be scary when you're alone. Thanks to all the parents that came to see their student’s work this exhibition season. I hope you got to see all the work and the efforts they made in a new light. We ask students to do these presentations for many reasons, but one major one is giving them the opportunity to share what they have gained with the people that have helped them gain it. Independent is not alone. It never fails: the people that have leaned into their support systems, maybe even found new ones, and have been honest about asking for help when they needed it found the most success. Below you’ll see a snapshot of the successes we’ve had this semester. These quotes are either pulled from the student’s narrative or something that they said during their exhibition. Enjoy! Cole became less afraid of failure and realized the value in making a mistake, and yes, then learning from it and trying again: “The only way I could learn my limits was if I was set loose to fail.” Nathaniel found a way to look for ways to improve rather than harshly criticize his progress: "At the beginning I had a “man my art stinks’’ attitude, but that attitude has all but vanished, replaced with a “my art can improve, and so it shall’’ attitude. I think that has gotten me very far."
Si reached new levels of inquiry and accountability: “You are the only reason things do or do not happen.” And, “It’s really about curiosity”. Ashlynn found more self reliance: “If I do it, it gets done”. This of course has many applications! Bruce might be the most quoted person in Pilot this year. This one might need more explanation, I encourage you to talk to him about what was happening when he said: “I am really a reverse McCarthy, if you will.” Vivi is looking for and ways to focus in on certain elements of her project: “How do I want to grow?” Ana increased her fluency in French a lot on her own, but then talked with a new mentor and: “... realized how much more productive I could be with someone who could critique me.” After all, we are all works in progress. Madison conducted many interviews and found that: “Often these conversations result in more questions.” More questions, she will ask! Calen is looking forward to a systems improvement: “This next semester is something that I am very excited for, especially because I feel that I did not show my full potential last semester while I was trying to learn how to have a productive system. I think that you are going to see a lot of improvement from me in the second half of this year, and see me change as a person as well while I try to bring a fun attitude to a serious work environment.” Jake found it helpful to look more closely that the individuals that contributed to great movements in art history: “Specifically I have learned that focusing on individuals in history helps put events in a human context. For example, I have learned that while considered a great artist in his own time, Michelangelo was commonly thought of as a mean person. I have also learned about the influence of the monk Girolamo Savonarola in Florence in the 1490s. Savonarola convinced a large group of people to burn their possessions of secular art and leisure.” Iona continues to persevere and make great use of her mentor, who she has been working with now for a year and a half: “Writing has always been a passion of mine but this is the first time I’ve continued to pursue a story even when faced with obstacles. In the past my ego has always gotten in the way and I’ve given up as soon as something begins to feel difficult so as not to “fail.” Realizing that that in itself is a form of failure has taken a lot of practice. With the help of Sayward I’m learning how to work through obstacles instead of just overcoming them, and for that I am truly grateful” Next up! The Personalized Learning Summit! On Tuesday, the 28th, we will head to UVM to participate in a student-led conference with about 165 other students that are doing Pilot-like work across the state. About half of our Pilot crew will have some sort of leadership role at this event. From making the program, to being the MC, to working the registration table, to hosting a workshop, we’ve got it going on!
Thanks to Izzy, Si, Ana, Madison, and Iona for stepping up! It’s going to be a great event -- with the aim of connecting students that are working on similar things with each other. Also, the Learning Summit offers a great opportunity for students to share their work. Sam Pite, a new Piloteer starting with us in the second semester will be joining us for this event and scoping out what is possible! Welcome Sam! We look forward to seeing more of your amazing artwork evolve in the next few months. To all: let's continue to ride out the bumps together. There are moments of smooth sailing ahead in 2020! Be well, amyK Every once in a while, I get a reminder of how life can be sprinkled with moments of long… long term gratification. I saw a student nine years after he was in my class, and he reminded me of some note I wrote for him that he had kept in his studio. He told me it had been helpful over and over again in keeping him coming back to his work, and engaging with his creative practice. All from a note I don’t even remember writing. It mattered. Being patient for these moments feels trying sometimes and very rewarding in others. The bigness of time can be overwhelming and it can also be relieving. We get to keep showing up and trying again. Staying curious about these paradoxes provides a good reminder that we can always learn more. That’s what the Pilot is here for, to give people a taste of what it’s like to just learn things because you want to. And that learning to learn is what’s important. There is always more. I am going to let you in on a little secret. It doesn’t actually matter what you study, but there is a linchpin: you have to really care about it. I am attempting to calculate the time span of the Pilot studies encompases this year… we’ve got Nathaniel looking 200 million years ahead at how animals have evolved after certain mass extinctions and Si looking about 3,400 years back to learn more from the time when Moses lived. We couldn’t find the date of manufacture on Noah’s Ark. But we are covering a 200,003,400 year span. That’s big time. Looking to the past, seeing what is present, and predicting the future. Today we have reached the last school day of the decade, coming back to school in 2020, which was a time that I for sure thought of as “the future” when I was in high school. We’ve also made it through the darkest part of our school year, after the winter solstice tomorrow we return to light. More and more to see each day. So what will we do with it? Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver made stunning observations of the world we live in and left us many poems. To her lead, I asked Pilot students a similar question when we sat around the fire this past Wednesday. coming soon.I have referenced the commencement speech Neil Gaiman made in 2012 a few times this year. The reminders are very fitting for us here: I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you make mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something. And the mistakes in themselves can be very useful. Have you taken a risk? What have you learned from the mistakes you’ve (hopefully) made? If you've been too afraid to take a risk, what supports do you need to leap out of your comfort zone? Being a Pilot is a bit like being a freelance student. Instead of working for one company (the conventional school system) you’re working for many. Your advisors, yourself, your mentors, your parents, your friends, all have a role in the things you are learning. Neil’s advice here, be nice, be on time, and be good. … people keep working in a freelance world, and more and more of today’s world is freelance, because their work is good, and because they are easy to get along with, and because they deliver the work on time. And you don’t even need all three. Two out of three is fine. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. People will forgive the lateness of your work if it’s good, and if they like you. And you don’t have to be as good as everyone else if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. That being said. Big end of the quarter due dates are coming. Portfolios and narratives need to be good (follow the prompt), on time (due three days before your exhibition), and yes, do all this while being nice. Try for all three. We’ll still love you if you hit two of these three but your process scores might not love you back if you’re not on time. Please see the semester 1 exhibition schedule, confirm your time once your required attendes get back to you! That's parents/guardians, mentors, and advisors. Personalized Learning Summit: 28th of January at the Davis Center. Students will be displaying their learning and have the opportunity to connect with other students that are in similar Pilot like programs in the state. Student-led workshops! It’s going to be great. Some of our students will be taking leadership roles in organizing the event, thanks to Izzy, Si, and Madison for volunteering to help out! I hope you all have break you are looking for. Enjoy the sleeping in and getting the rest you need to complete this semester when we get back in 2020!
Be well, amyK Sometimes, when I am about halfway through something I’ve decided to do, I realize I should have been more prepared before setting out on the journey. But I just keep going because I’ve started. And when I’ve started, often it feels good to finish so I can look at what I've done and say, “that’s done now… what’s next?” Maybe you have experienced this as well. I hope you have. I was reminded of this example of perseverance (one of our six learning to learn skills, more on that later) last night when I chose to walk home in the wintery mix. I measured the distance to my house — only 1.1 miles. Not bad even in inclement weather. It was 4:40pm and the dark of night had already set in. I started walking. The first half of the walk was not so bad. I wrapped my big scarf around my head and my hair kept the slushy rain-snow out of my eyes. There was a sidewalk and I could feel safe there. The cars that were speeding by would not hit me. But I was wearing black, dark orange, and brown, my clothes made of cotton and linen. Sign one and two of unpreparedness. Halfway through my walk the sidewalk ended and the dicey part of the journey began. In order to feel safe that the cars would not hit me, I had to walk close to the curb in the bike lane. The wintery mix that was falling from the sky had been coming down since the early afternoon creating a cold puddle of slush near the curb. I only had a half a mile to go but to feel safe walking in the dark, wearing dark clothes, traversing Route 2 - I made the choice to hug the curb and let the slush soak my feet. My boots are warm but not waterproof. When I heard a car coming, I either lifted my arms or jumped to the snowy lawn next to the graveyard. Sign three of being unprepared but taking precautionary steps to be able to keep going. Truth is: I never really feel prepared to stay warm at the beginning of winter. As it gets colder, I usually have to experience one or two days of being too cold and too wet to remember that I need to start dressing for the weather. I do like layers. And I also like making a fire when I get home. I am fortunate to have this option. Fire is the only heat source that really warms me to the core. Maybe you have experienced this as well. I hope you have. We live in a very cold place for a lot of the year. So, the first real snowfall happened last night, giving us these kind of sensations. The seasons are turning from dark sticks to bright snow. With this new blanket on our landscape, we have nearly completed the first round of exhibitions! Two more to go early next week. Many fires have been lit (switch here to fire as a metaphor). We’re looking for ways to find what really lights us on fire. If your fire is already going, how will you maintain the flames? If you’ve just lit the kindling, where are the bigger logs that you’ll place on next? If your fire is raging in the wrong place, what skills will you develop to dampen it and start again. (Think of things like, being on your phone too much as a distraction from the real work or not using your time well or not taking advantage this amazing experience to study the things that you really care about). Si Henderson created a great list to help us remember the “necessary tools and resources to start a fire”. This is from Si’s narrative:
From Ana Young: Recently a discussion happened over dinner with my parents. They’ve heard me rant throughout the year on general frustrations of how badly settlers treated the Native Americans. But that night I shifted my rant to a formation of less facts and more takeaways. Instead of the usual: “Columbus was a bad guy, he enslaved and killed countless Natives!” I talked about how throughout history our morals have progressed, this often means that a hero of the past can become a villain in the future. We use Columbus as a symbol in our country, but along with that symbol needs to come education and recignization. The recignization for what that symbol truly means. From Ashlynn Perry: Hippocratic physicians didn’t study the human body because it was against their religion instead, they used logic and philosophy to cure disease. Holistic medicine evaluates the whole person (body&mind) and looks for the imbalance between the two. It emphasizes the body’s natural ability to heal itself. From Cole Dyer: Through this first quarter I have learned a lot about myself as a writer. Everybody has a different writing process and I had to figure out mine. I’m still in part figuring it out. Needless to say, there was a lot of trial and error (Such as setting a goal 25,000 words too high). I’ve learned that I need more time to think and more time to read than I originally expected. I also found that I write best when I ease into it, reading for a bit, thinking for a couple minutes and then beginning. I still have a lot to learn but it is super valuable experience that will make future endeavors just that much smoother. From Iona Bristol: (vast improvement from last year's Q1 narrative, ask her about it) All of that said: I am very proud of myself and my work and overall feel that I’m doing very well. By now I have a good understanding of my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to independent learning and know how to navigate the ups and downs while still being successful. I enjoy my differing projects and what they entail, I’ve planned out the rest of the year and am doing my best to be honest with myself, my peers, and my advisors. From Izzy Giammusso: Last year was my first time ever doing an independent learning study, so this is all relatively new development in my life, even though it doesn’t feel like it. I think that I’m getting the hang of what matters in this kind of program. Sophomore year I really focused on time management, planning ahead, and taking care of my health. I feel like at this point I understand those aspects of my learning, and now I’m able to branch out a little more. This quarter, the biggest take away for me is that connections are everything. Being a shy person, in the past I have never really been good at reaching out to people and making lasting and impactful connections. But this year, I feel like I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and getting to know a lot of new people. From Jake Bruccoli-Langlois: This Quarter has been one of the most academically thrilling and engaging times that I have had in awhile. In addition to my more content based learning, I have also learned how important setting challenging but attainable three week goals is and how important trial and error is. I mention these two things because when working on my first set of three week goals, which were to watch the “Ed Talks,” watch the Khan Academy videos, read the book History of Italian Renaissance Art and take notes about it. Upon accomplishing these goals I promptly made my next set of three week goals, because I understood how important goal setting was to my learning process. I also don’t think that I would have learned as much, because I probably would have gotten stuck trying to figure out what was happening during the Renaissance. From Madison Roberge: My bouncing around on how to go about my culture study shows my continuous reflection on my interests. Currently I have sticky notes on the wall next to my desk with questions I feel are too big to ask in an interview. I call these questions for pondering, and find they often guide me in smaller questions. Currently the two up there are, How does culture change and what do we have control over? Why is the northern hemisphere often more progressive and developed than the southern hemisphere? From Nathaniel Rice: In terms of successes, i’ve been rocking and rolling. One of my most notable successes is my improvement in art. About up until almost 3 years ago, I never really took art seriously. I then started drawing various fictional characters that I had came up with, but as my art evolved, my interests changed. I left my “edgy phase’’ after deciding that it didn’t fit my experience level (you can only make edgy art if you’re GOOD at it) and decided to do something else - animals. Three years later I am drawing animals of all sorts: animals of the past and present. But I still wanted to create, to invent. And that’s where this project came in. I leapt at the chance to finally take part in an art genre that had fascinated me for years.
The snow continues to fall. The flakes are heavy right now. Enjoy the lightness that these flakes bring and when you find a chance, please stoke the fire.
Be well, amyK p.s. I did have the nickname "Arson Amy" for a while as a kid. I got caught lighting fires on the playground when I was eight years-old. If you need help getting the fire started, please let me know. I am good at this because I've been practicing for a while. Last note: Certain students do not have a narrative excerpt here because I can't find their narrative. Please help by reminding them to put it in the right place. “I didn’t understand how much time learning takes.” - Nevaeh West Yesterday I was talking to Bruce as he was finalizing some interview questions that he was set to use in the afternoon when he spoke with Rick Winston, the author of The Red Scare in the Green Mountains. He was frustrated and it was difficult. I said to him, “You’re doing difficult things. It’s okay if it feels difficult.” To which he replied, “But easier things are easier!” But he was smiling when he said it. He pushed through and accomplished the hard thing. He didn’t reschedule the interview. This morning he started editing his first podcast episode. The first exhibitions of year are scheduled for the week after next. We're doing them a little bit later this year so that we can complete another set of three week goals. The first exhibition is designed to be a short pause where we can reflect on how it's going. The schedule is available above, but as a reminder, these exhibitions are invite only with mostly advisors and parents/guardians in attendance. If you'd like to attend an exhibition and you've not been invited please contact the student beforehand. What kind of structure have you put in place to best utilize your freedom?And now, a relevant blast from the past from an October 2011 TGIF written by Chris Blackburn: And, well, wow. What a week. I know I keep talking like ‘now it’s getting real’ but, really: now it’s getting real. [Next week] is the week that kids [are] asked to stop their flow (for better or worse, that stoppage: some of them really just getting into their stride, some of them established in less than productive patterns and the break [will be] really good) and report to us: What have you been doing? How has it been working? What do you have to show? Looking forward to what this slight pause to reflect will bring. Have a great weekend! In the first five weeks of the school year we have focused on the development of resources. First, looking at the questions that we have and the curiosities that we’ve developed. In students learning plans, they are to ask specific questions about the things that they are wondering about: Ana - Can I feel an extroverted energy after a french conversation rather than an introverted fatigue? Cole - What makes for a compelling storyline that keeps a reader hooked in? Jake - How did the Greek classics influence the Italian Renaissance? Neveah - How does greed affect us? Ashlynn - How did the Native American’s medicine influence their communities? Iona - What makes us who we are? How is identity formed? Bruce - Why is the world trending towards authoritarianism? Madison - How does one culture influence another? Sierra - What are the primary values and beliefs that form and guide each of the Abrahamic religions? Calen - Do I have what it takes to produce good video content? Izzy - How can I experiment with other art styles and step out of my comfort zone? Nate - What will life be like 100 million years from now? What about the geography? Weather? Vivi - What relevance do the works of the beat authors have today? Our wondering has turned into curiosity. Curiosity into questions, questions into search terms, and from search terms into resources. Resources of the academic kind. We’ve looked at refining these systems of searching to understand the difference between truth and opinion in the information that we find. We’ve started to look at the kind of information that we find and consider ‘who are the authors?’ that have written the material we are consuming. For more information see these two slideshows put together by our wonderful Pilot support Librarian, Meg Allison:
Izzy Giammusso has been getting down to business learning Photoshop and digital illustration ! you're invited to the Pilot Potluck Thursday, October 3rd 5:30-7 pmThank you to the Giammusso's for offering to host this year's Pilot gathering at their home. Details for the event: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3RD 5:30-7 PM 1337 Adamant Rd, Adamant, VT 05640 Please bring a dish or beverage to share if you can, but we definitely don't need everyone to bring something. RSVP to Amy at [email protected] by Tuesday, October 1st if you can make it. If your last name begins with A-L bring a savory dish or finger food. If your last name begins with K-Z bring a dessert, or beverage. Please park at the end of the driveway. See you there! We are still looking for a few mentors!
Final snapshot of student progress for the week: Cole Dyer has written many words! Here is an excerpt from his in progress novel: The passage was narrow. The rough stone walls brushed his shoulders on either side. Here and there a small stream dribbled from some unknown source above, filling the space with the noise of trickling water. Auro reached his hands up, feeling for a ceiling above him. His hands passed through empty air. A cold sweat broke across his brow. In the darkness, the tunnel could extend for a foot or a hundred above him. Now that he thought of it, he was sure he could hear the sound of the water echoing far above. Auro turned to retreat before he fell into another set of twitches. Scratch, scratch. Auro froze. Scratch scratch scratch. Slowly, Auro turned back, listening intently. Concentrating, he could hear small squeaks through the trickling water and the scrabbling. Rats. Food. His stomach rumbled. Those rats would sustain him. In these caves the rats had no predators. They didn’t try to run or bite. Auro could simply grab as many as he could carry and bring them back to the central cavern. The noises were coming from further down the tunnel. Further into the high, open chasm, where any manner of creature could perch above, waiting. His stomach growled again. This could be his last chance to for another week. Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward. His tunnels. Step. The darkness loomed above. His tunnels. Step. A faint breeze drifted down from some unseen opening far above. Auro shivered. His tunnels. Step. The scratching echoed through the chasm again. This time from above. Auro froze. Something was up there. Something was watching. He felt its eyes burning through him. The unseen watcher clattered again. Auro’s head snapped to the side. Hide. The tightness began pushing in on him like a vice, slowly being tightened. Disappear. The food. He had to get to the food. Hide. The knot of hunger in his stomach twisted. Disappear. His tunnels. He had to go on. Without food he would die as surely as if the mysterious watcher struck. Auro gritted his teeth. Hide. Disappear. His tunnels. Step. His head continued to snap around, eyes trying to pierce the darkness. Hide. Disappear. His tunnels. Step. The vice continued to tighten on his chest. Hide. Disappear. His tunnels. Step. The scratching ahead was close now. Only a few more steps and he’d reach the rats. Hide. Disappear. His- A loud crack rang through the cavern. Enjoy the beautiful weekend!
Be well, until next time. amyK Congratulations Senior Pilot Graduates! May you continue to be empowered learners whereever the road may lead. YOU GOT THIS.
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