Martin Luther King Jr. Rally & March 2014

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Blustery Day

We are a school of science, art and nature; communing with animals, plants, and the mathematical design behind it all. We are serious about our dedication to social justice, balance and connectedness, because in all reality, we have no time to lose. We are here to question bias, see through the glitz and screens that blind us and figure out how to raise kids who are prepared to help out on a large scale. 

We work on giant concepts, huge ideas that are all about helping save the world from ourselves. I know these sound too big sometimes for 5-10 year-olds but they take it in and on with seriousness, earnestness and great passion. I swoon when I hear them breaking down ideas such as Trophic Cascade, talking about Susan B. Anthony and women’s right to vote and what we need to do to save the Duwamish River and its people. I feel such great pride and hope for the future. 

Today we trekked down to Lincoln Park to try to get a get a glimpse of one of our favorite mammals, a humpback whale; an animal we have studied and hoped for its livelihood in our beloved oceans. We didn’t get to see the whale but we did see eagles on the wind and one of the most stunning rainbows I’ve ever seen. And while all of these things play an important role in our learning about our world, nothing compared to the compassion I witnessed toward humankind today; a small thing or two but such an impression that we are on the right track to giving back to the world, kids who really care. 
—–

The wind was gusting, the kids were playing, building, running, gazing through the binoculars at the enormous waves. Someone who was slow moving along the path had their scarf get caught and blow away, and a few kids tore away from what they were doing to chase it down and return it to its owner.

One of our kids fell and all the kids rushed to make sure they weren’t hurt or upset.

Not one but three times, the garbage can near us, fell and blew; the can, the bag, the garbage, the lid in all directions. Each time, a group of kids ran to fix it, helping each other to carry the pieces to make it whole again. People were walking by taking it in. On the third time, as two kids carried the can back to its spot, they figured out they could move it behind the bushes so it wouldn’t blow over. Someone on a blustery walk was watching and stopped and thanked our kids for their service.

Again I felt such pride but a different kind of pride. The kids didn’t do any of this for recognition, or because someone asked or told them to or for any other reason except it is what you do to make our world a better place and because they care. These simple acts are so woven into who we are as a community and it is making all the difference, this work we are all doing here together. Thank you for being here with us.

Much Love,
Michelle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” ~Sir Ken Robinson

Carpe diem!