Project Reflections
| Date | Place | Reflections |
01/17/06
|
Olympic View Elementary Oak Harbor, WA
|
I met with the OVE elementary school teachers to discuss my classroom project proposal. Both teachers were receptive to the idea of classroom observations and the presentation of a lesson/activity for their students - combined grades 3 - 5. Additional details, including dates and times for visits will be discussed next week. My goal for this particular project is to present an activity that celebrates the emergence and life unfolding from winter towards spring, including the elements of plant study, nature appreciation and inclusivity. |
01/18/06
|
Longhouse (TESC)
|
Lunar New Year group met to discuss advertising, fundraising and program details. Flyers were reviewed and distributions lists presented. Additional target sites are retirement/senior centers, radio and television stations, health centers, newspapers. Present were: Alexandar, Brook, Mukti, Grace, Rose, Aldo, Heather, Katie, Hirsh, Alan and myself. |
01/18/06
|
Seminar 2 D1105
|
Larger Lunar New Year group met after class to discuss earlier meeting details and to delegate flyer routes (distribution lists). Hirsh presented the color flyers which are just beautiful! |
01/20/06
|
Offices: Compass Health and Snohomish County |
Dropped flyers with personalized notes to interested individuals, including those with adopted Asian children. |
01/21/06
|
Seminar 2 D1105
|
Meeting with Hirsh and Natalie re: Lunar New Year flyer re-design for better readability, and additional credit notation for picture and printing. |
01/23/06
|
S. Whidbey Community and e-mail list serve.
|
Dropped off and e-mail flyers with information to personal contacts (Mind-Body-Spirit instructors and students). |
01/23/06
|
S. Whidbey Waldorf school
|
Visited school after hours to tour facilities and listen to parent's concerns, etc. I found the Waldorf school setting to be more intimate than the public school, however also found it to be more structured than I had anticipated. The parents often seem to be at odds with one another and discuss this rather openly. |
01/23/06
|
Home.
|
I pulled out some of my personal environmental education resource materials and skimmed them over the material for age-appropriate, ideas. The lesson plan/activity presentation time has become my most challenging factor, and I am still struggling with keeping this simple...I like to work with and teach children outdoors and am feeling intimidated by the structured classroom setting and knowledge base I feel I need to have to present something in a public school setting. |
01/25/06
|
Garfield Elementary Olympia
|
Assisted with Jennifer Billing's afternoon Developmental pre-school class. First I checked in with the office as a volunteer. I was delighted to see so many volunteer badges on the wall - many of them TESC students! I found the staff to be friendly and welcoming, and the school to be very clean, organized and visually/energetically inviting. Next I introduced myself to a teacher's aid (wonderful woman, but I cannot remember her unique name unfortunately...I need to work on remembering names). She oriented me to the classroom and made me feel very welcome. Next, I introduced myself to the teacher. She gave a few good tips and was also very welcoming. I circulated throughout the classroom, meeting and spending quality time with as many students as possible and asking questions of the teacher and assistants when appropriate. The children were easy to connect with and although a few were somewhat rough and aggresive with other children, I found their behaviors easy to re-direct. I played several Snail race games, made flowers and bird houses with connecter pieces and included puppets in this adventure, did some "animal" yoga, ate some play food and made a few "phone calls" in the play house, worked on some paper dragons, participated in circle and listened to a reading of the book The Dancing Dragon and observed snack time. Interesting info. about this program: There are 18 enrolled children, 1 teacher and 3 assistants. 1/2 of the enrolled children are with the Head Start program. The program runs Tuesdays through Fridays (there is also a morning program with different children attending). The teacher, Jennifer does home visits with special ed. families on Mondays. She loves her job, but says "it's alot of work...and alot of it goes un-paid." |
01/25/06
|
CAB - Student Activities
|
Met with Lunar New Year project "support group" to present proposal to the Student Activities board for funding to defray costs of event. The board was professional, courteous and consisted of only students. I was very impressed! Our presentation group was knowledgeable on the subject matter and also presented professionally. |
01/25/06
|
TESC Longhouse
|
Lunar New Year project group meeting. A meeting agenda was presented (very helpful) and each member reported on progress, etc. To date: The flyer created by Natalie and Melanie had been revised and looks really fantastic! Fliers have been posted on campus, in surrounding communities, and as far away as Whidbey Island. Hirsh and Melanie have secured donations and Melanie generated a great business card to have available for future requests...Hirsh will give the final seal of approval on this card. It was agreed that an ad in the Olympian would be purchased running in the Entertainment section on Thursday, February 2nd. Select members agreed to secure "in-kind donations" for flowers to surround the stage, and for food plates for the presenting artists. Also reviewed were ticket sales, directional signs for the day of the event, possible photography to document the event, and delegation of volunteer positions to run the event. |
01/25/06
|
Seminar 2 D1105
|
Lunar New Year project group meeting after class. Volunteer positions such as ushers, stage hands, break down and clean up were delegated within larger project group. Additional fliers to post were handed out as well. |
01/26/06
|
Service Alternatives, Inc. Public meeting room in Coupeville, WA.
|
Two of the three school district's Special Services teams on Whidbey Island came together to do a workshop on B.D. Programming. The idea is to look at "whole" school systems that are working. Key concepts noted: Positive behavior support for the youth, expansion of the repetoire of available resources, creating a management system that is supportive, social skills imbeded into instruction, and an environment that is engaging for kids. |
01/26/06
|
S. Whidbey
|
Dropped off flyers per request and discussed the Lunar New Year events being held on Friday and Saturday. People asked several detailed questions that I felt fairly comfortable answering however, I wish I'd had more background information to boost my confidence. |
01/27/06
|
Olympic View Elementary School Oak Harbor, WA
|
The elementary classroom I will be observing regularly and also using for my lesson/activity is an EBD (emotional-behaviorially disordered youth) classroom. The class currently has all boys, ages 8 - 11 with combined grades 3 - 5. The teachers and teacher aides are fantastic and really care for these kids! This morning the children sat in a social skill's group circle and discussed personal goals, which included setting the goal and the steps necessary to reach their goal. Next, we went to music and learned a bit about the origins of jazz and sang one of Stevie Wonder's songs...wow, the range was waaay too high for my alto voice. To finish up the morning, I joined the boys in grades 4 -5 for Math. They practiced reading a daily number (something like $1,375,428.60), went step by step through a word problem - looking for key words, etc. to help them solve the problem, and finished playing money bingo. The boys did great. Recess, then it's off to lunch. |
01/27/06
|
Olympic View Elementary Oak Harbor, WA
|
I returned to observe part of the afternoon in the classroom, so as to make the best use of my travel time. The kids began with DOL (Daily Oral Language) and went over sentence structure, making corrections, etc. The group then split into 2 groups depending on grade level and proceeded with Language Arts. I joined the 3rd graders. They began with timed reading to show progress and then went through questions to see their level of retention. The boys liked looking at their graphs, as each had clearly made progress. I thought the stories were cool and that the teacher had been very thoughtful to find something the boys would enjoy reading. Next was spelling. The teacher read through each student's word list and the students had to spell the word. This lesson was followed by "Spelling Football" (the Super Bowl just around the corner). Each boy had a football and the ball would move 10 yards for every word spelled correctly. The boys liked this game alot. Recess followed and was a walk/run two times around the school buildings. During Science, all grades came together and the project was to about currents. The boys were given 4 wires, 4 clamps (likely not the correct word), 2 "D" Cell batteries, a battery holder, and two small lite bulbs. The teacher wrote directions on the board and a drew a diagram that was incorrect. The boys had to figure it all out. It was challenging and a couple of boys became upset, however with assistants to the rescue, everyone felt successful in the end and enjoyed the lesson. The boys definitely like the hand's on approach! Today I also set up additional days and times with the classroom teachers to continue my observations, and present my lesson plan. |
02/01/06
|
TESC Computer Lab and Longhouse
|
I checked in with a couple of classmates and Hirsh about inserting additional rows for logs and reflections...something not covered in our initial workshops. I also received word that Mercy was now on board and that I would be able to assist her with filming during the Lunar New Year Celebration. We made our initial contacts. At our LNY group meeting, we discussed the final preparations for the event. Set up time, ushers, name tags/markers, sound support, stage decorators, stage change and clean up were Friday's topics. Morning set up, sound support, set up for concert, personal assistant for Midori, ushers, will call, stage hands, breakdown and clean up were Saturday's topics. Miscellaneous: Program proofing and printing, flowers, easels for calligraphy, pads andink forcalligraphy, directional signs, artwork removal in library on Saturday. Dinner with Chungliang would be at Mekong Restaurant on Friday for project team and guests. More Miscellaneous: Painted Word has been extended through February! Heather, Melanie and Grace willcompile planningdata as a follow up to event (for next year), and the group will meet for a post-production meeting on Wednesday, February 16th at 3:30 in the Longhouse. ...Think about Spring programming for March: Star Spring Stories. |
02/01/06
|
Seminar 2 D1105 |
Brief meeting with Mercy and Mylee regarding filming of Lunar New Year Celebration - times to meet on Friday and Saturday, etc. |
02/03/06
|
TESC Dean's Office, Media Support/Loans, Longhouse
|
I met with Mercy at her office and then proceeded with her to check out all filming equipment needed for LNY Celebration. Reserving specific equipment in advance and arriving early is without a doubt essential! Mercy showed me which equipment is better than others, but cannot be specifically reserved. We checked all equipment and batteries for operation prior to signing out - the batteries are notorious for not being fully charged. At the Longhouse, we set up 2 tripods and 2 digital cameras with battery packs and tapes, 2 microphones (which connect to cameras), and battery chargers in the back room. I filmed Chungliang Al Huang's morning's Tai Ji session, charged battery packs as they quickly ran out and shot still photos throughout the day. I was surprised to learn that Chungliang is 70 years old - he doesn't look a day over 50 and thinks young. He made such an impression on my thoughts and feelings throughout the day that I found myself teary-eyed more than once. Chungliang was rich, engaging, artful, and fun - WOW! During lunch I was invited by a classmate to join her and others for lunch. This invitation made my day even though I needed to decline since I needed to stay with the filming equipment. ...my new friend also asked me to join the women for a sauna prior to dinner with Chungliang and my heart opened further to being in the right place with those I feel most connected. I did need to decline due to filming obligations, however it was an offering of the moment - these moments are expansive for me. After the workshop, I helped secure the equipment and discussed the procedures for Saturday with Mercy. Did you know that Mercy is from Kenya? I love Africa and the people of Africa...I think that it is no accident that Mercy and I connected. |
02/04/06
|
TESC Longhouse
|
I again met early with Mercy to set up equipment to film the LNY Celebration. We went over several details and reviewed conversations from the previous day. We put 3 cameras and connecting equipment up, and in addition, set up lighting. I filmed with the center camera. A few challenges came up for me during the process of filming: First, I found it is really important to run through the menu and to be sure the settings are exactly where you want them to be. Second, if the tripod head isn't a good one, or if you don't have it set correctly, it is hard to pan smoothly. Third, folks just keep walking right in front of camera and it's hard to catch them beforehand. Fourth, when you have the camera on a zoom setting and are filming someone moving quickly across the stage (with an extended object like a sword), it is really hard to capture everything without zooming out. In other words, filmmaking takes alot of practice! During the Liberal Arts Forum, I participated as the "Scribe" and also gathered our notes into a summation of sharing. I thought our group was fairly eclectic and enjoyed my first Liberal Arts Forum. Some of the moments during the event that really put me into an exceptionally emotional place were the Peacock Dance and the Flute performance. I also found myself incredibly interested in Red Pine's presentation, especially learning the differences between eastern and western Hermits. I also very much enjoyed shooting digital stills of the event. I'd like to use some of the photos in my portfolio, and project presentation, and if Mercy can use some in her documentary film, it would be my pleasure...I'm fairly new at digital and still need learn how to clean up photos (not this quarter) and make them available to show as a slide show from my laptop...argh, I never seem to have enough time! |
02/05/06
|
Home. Bayview Farm & Garden store.
|
I reviewed several books and videos ordered from the library regarding environmental education for elementary age children. I'm still struggling with the presentation time factor, and also with the notion that I need to have it be learning based vs. just an activity...these are my own mental challenges. Later I went out to our plant pot collection and cleaned up 10 pots in preparation for my project. I also prepared soil to go into the pots for planting. At the Farm & Garden store I was able to purchase the last remaining tulip bulbs at 50% off. I think I often make my life more complicated than I need to, i.e. too much running around. Back at home, I planed 10 tulip bulbs in 10 pots and watered them. There are currently 8 students in the class, but I wanted to be sure we had extras in case anything went wrong. I also kept a couple of bulbs out for observation and scientific inquiry, as well as an empty pot and soil to show how the bulbs are planted. The only reason I am pre-planting the bulbs is due to time considerations. I would have preferred the students do the complete project... I think getting your hands in the soil is a really great way to connect with the earth. |
02/07/06
|
Home.
|
I e-mailed Mercy to find out if there is a time I can watch some of her editing process, and for her to share a more detailed description of her film with me for reference. I also mentioned that I would be glad to share some of my stills with her if she was interested. |
02/10/06
|
Olympic View Elementary Oak Harbor, WA
|
I arrived at Olympic View Elementary during a game of hangman -a word guessing/spelling game. I carried in my project for the kids...they were very curious - each pot had something green just barely peeking out! We found a table near a window where we could set our Buried Treasures, and I spoke to the students individually about how to follow the directions that I was posting. I also made name tags for each pot. At 12:30, I observed the 3rd graders during Language Arts. Just prior to beginning, one student had a small melt down for no apparant reason and needed to leave the room temporarily to take a time out. The remaining student worked on his timed reading and was very excited to show me how much he had improved since my last visit. Both students played spelling baseball following the timed reading segment of Language Arts. The object was to spell a word correctly in order to move to the next base. The pitcher was the teacher...pitching the word. The kids enjoyed being able to move and be successful. Recess followed with all grades taking one lap around the school. Next was science and the children were finishing up the magnets and electricity module. All grade levels drew the necessary diagram in order to work their long-distance telegraphs. They then wired up the equipment and tested it. The teachers were excited and really fun to watch as the project unfolded and actually worked! The boys then reviewed a grid code that they had worked on previously and then sent each other messages to de-code. It was way cool! |
02/17/06
|
Home Olympic View Elementary Oak Harbor, WA |
I completed my written lesson plan to turn in to classroom teachers and college professors. The process took much longer than I thought for such a seemingly simple project - I admire the teachers for creating mutiple lesson plans each day, and for attempting to accomodate all of the variables they encounter with children, parents and the administration. When I arrived at the school, I joined the children outside for their designated "meaningful jobs." The two boys I joined were filling bird feeders and putting out suet as part of their birdwatching. The super great Instructor's Aide was holding the binoculars for each boy to use when applicable. The boys had seen a Seagull and a Bald Eagle prior to my arrival. The boys liked being outside and doing these hands-on activities...even in the really cold weather. Afterwards, we went into the classroom to review our Buried Treasure's project. The students (and teachers) were very excited about the project. Our treasures had grown 2 - 3 inches in one week, and in most of the pots another treasure was appearing. The students had drawn me a picture of what they thought a tulip looked like and delivered them to my "mailbox". They shared that they had been talking to their plants and had even named them...and their friend that had recently arrived in the pot. The Instructor Aides shared that the students had been "petting their plants each day and were really into them." It was really fun to hear about the project and to answer some questions. I gave the students more directions verbally and in writing near their growth charts to follow until my return next week. We then proceeded to move into Social Studies, using a map to locate places of reference and then the students practiced reading out loud. The ratio was two students to one teacher or aide. |
02/24/06
|
Olympic View Elementary Oak Harbor, WA |
Today I reviewed my final presentation for the elementary students, checking to be sure I had all of the necessary materials and doing a run through so I could present without looking over my notes too much. When I arrived at the school, a few of the students ran up to greet me, and took me over to our project table to show me how much their plants had grown. They also asked when they could take their plants home - this was the on-going topic of discussion. As I continued to chat with a couple of students, I set up for my final lesson plan. I began my lesson late, sitting down with four students - we waited approximately 10 minutes for the others who had not yet returned from their special project time. As expected, the students were not terribly excited about the general information that I read aloud, but when it came time to pass around some flower bulbs in various transitional states and cut a flower bulb in half to look at the insides...well, they liked this hands on approach alot! Keeping the students focused and on topic was somewhat of a challenge however, not one student blew out of this lesson and for an EBD classroom that is a really big deal! The students were awesome during the Q & A portion of the lesson! To fine tune this project I would have created time for the kids to plant their own bulbs and would have also brought in enough bulbs for each student to hold and pick apart once cut open. Magnifying glasses for each student would have been cool to use as well. I think keeping the plants in the classroom until they are finished blooming is a great follow through idea. Out plants grew alot, but had not yet developed buds...an exciting thing to watch and measure for sure. and had some great insights. I was so busy with the kids that I didn't think to ask someone to take photos. It isn't appropriate to photograph faces in this school setting, but we could have taken some great "hands-on" shots...and I think it would have also been neat to have some sound recordings, especially during the Q & A. Last but not least, I again want to recognize what public school teachers accomplish each and every day - especially Special Ed. and EBD teachers! They have so many details to keep track of and at any given moment, one or more students can lead them waaaay off track. They display such love, resiliance and passion for their work. I was very honored to be a guest in their home! |
02/25/06
|
Whidbey Island Everett
|
Posted synergy flyers.
|
03/04/06
|
TESC - Synergy
|
10:00 am – 11:15 am Marisha began her presentation asking us to pick someone we didn’t know and for each person to write down on a card three ways they saw themselves as a “resource” and one time they felt most connected to “community.” We then set the cards aside. Next, Marisha presented a brief slide show which showed the progression of a community connecting, collaborating and making changes. I thought there were some really neat ideas of how to get neighbors out of their cars in into the streets to meet one another. One idea that stood out was changing a significant cross street into a gathering place. The cross street was painted and neighbors gathered here for potlucks, circling, etc. I liked the added color in the streets, and that the people chose to paint a circle -signifying the circle of community. After the slide show we spent time with our partners sharing about what we had written on our cards and then introduced our partner to the entire group. As we shared, it was clear that just within one room there were many resources, as well as many commonalities. I thought this presentation was well done, but Marisha could have used 1 ½ - 2 hours for such a large group. I was disappointed that there was not the time or opportunity to create a “resource exchange/contact list” from this group. On my way out I had to chuckle at a comment I overheard about the Bioregionalism Panel “Yeah, I left – it was boring…just a bunch of old guys talking about the 80’s.” I was on my way to this panel and knew my partner would still be in there. We are both in our 40’s and he is the former Director for the Permaculture Institute of North America. He was one of the “old guys” talking with his friends on the panel about the beginning – the roots of Bioregionalism; a few of them Evergreen graduates. 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Bioregionalism Panel David Haenke - “The Father of Bioregionalism” started the first N.A. Bioregional congress in 1984 – I only heard David speak briefly and thought he was fun to listen to. He came all the way from the Ozarks where he is immersed in total systems ecological work to be at this conference. This panel was incredibly knowledgeable and I had the honor of having lunch (and dinner) with all of these “old guys” (the laugh of the day). I find it challenging to summarize the conversations, however can share that these guys really know their business! They are without a doubt, “Eco-sapien” movers and shakers and have no intention on giving up – they walk their talk and any student could learn a lot from them. 1:15 pm – 1:45 pm A (TESC?)student presented this great slideshow, however it was a bit unfortunate that he had to present it to the group on his laptop. During the presentation, slides and books were displayed covering various Eco-village living and Green Urbanism, with discussion interspersed. I found this presentation inspiring and loved the weaving of aesthetic and ecological components. I especially like the information about the botanical roof gardens and how urban communities are channeling storm water first through canals and ditches, ponds and wetlands before draining it into traditional storm water systems. 1:45 pm – 2:00 pm I enjoyed checking out the Twig sculptures and asking questions. I especially liked the large container/bowl/basket – it was just amazing to look at from afar. Another thing I found of interest was the use of Scotch Broom - once woven into the twig structure it seemed to really strengthen and rainproof (to a degree) the overall shelter. I liked touching it and moving around and viewing it from several angles. 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Lydia Doleman, natural builder and activist was really inspiring. She presented a superb slideshow and talked about City Repair and Dignity Village in Portland, OR. The overall concept was to create “declarations of place” using recycled materials from the waste stream and to incorporate people to create democracy. She displayed how ecology, art and social justice can blended together in a sustainable manner – and in harmony. I came away from this presentation incredibly inspired not only by the great work of this woman, but by the collaborative approach in bringing community together and keeping the process affordable and empowering. To learn more go to: http://www.cityrepair.org/ 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Elain was wonderful. Her stories were thought provoking, and sometimes quite funny. She also shared her drums and miscellaneous instruments as well as the many baskets and hats she has made and/or collected over the years. Elain is clearly comfortable sharing and is a wonderful asset to the Synergy event. 8:30pm – 10:45 pm By the time Starhawk presented, I was exhausted and found it difficult to focus on her presentation. I have not read any of Starhawk’s books, nor had I heard her speak before, however with all of the hype, it was easy to set the stage for high expectations. I found Starhawk’s overall energy to be low and not thoroughly engaging to be honest, and I wondered if she was not feeling well. Having said that, I did find the weaving of subject matter interesting and I especially found it thought provoking to think about how we place our Earth, our soil in the same “box” as things that are bad, dirty, etc. I’d like to read a couple of Starhawk’s books now that I know a bit more about her background. I think she has incredible strength to do all she has in her lifetime for the greater good, and I admire that very much! I was unable to stay for the Spiral Dance at the end and was sorry to have missed that…I heard it was beautiful. Conclusion All in all, I thought the Synergy presenters were great. I learned new information and made a few new contacts. Mostly, I was inspired by how one person can indeed make change happen. Living out of town, working and being a full-time student I was unable to attend much of the event due to time constraints, and that sadly left me feeling a bit disconnected from the overall event. Conversing with presenters and attendees alike, the most talked about area for improvement would be to advertise better, and earlier – and the posters need to define the event more clearly. |
