We’ve been showered lately. Not with spring rains bringing relief from rising temperatures, but with gifts of kindness and generosity. Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and it felt like a birthday or holiday season. I was touched by the sweet gifts, messages, and cards I received from many of our parents, and I’m not even . . . Read More
Forty-one years ago I signed on to bring forth a school, which has now become Awakening Seed. I was 25 years old at the time, just barely an adult. I made the commitment because I knew it was the right thing to do. I had two young daughters then, and I wanted them to have . . . Read More
Having been an artist my whole life, making marks on the page is important to me. Recently I was discussing the drawing of young children with Deb, our Preschool 4s teacher. We were talking about the importance of children having a drawing practice and how to support them in this process. I volunteered to come . . . Read More
As our complex world continues on its trajectory through time and space, I’m seeing that often the best way to help is to work with what’s right in front of us. Through a conversation with one of our Seed dads, I was introduced to an article that addresses this idea. The author, Kevin McCarty, explores . . . Read More
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I’m obsessed with plastic—reducing, reusing, and recycling it. I bring my own reusable bags wherever I shop, spreading the message to one cashier at a time about the wastefulness of plastic bags. More and more, I make purchasing decisions based on the amount of . . . Read More
Last week we received a wonderful surprise. News arrived from the community service branch of Brady, our janitorial supply company, that the Seed had been selected as the recipient of a $2,500 Brady Shines grant to help fund our new walkway, which will enhance handicap access to our playground. It was a reminder of the . . . Read More
Monday in the kindergarten class was a spontaneous preview of our summer art camp. The class has been studying Ecuador, guided by their student teacher who is from there. As part of their study, the Galapagos Islands became a topic of discussion. This grabbed my attention and brought back strong memories of a student who . . . Read More
Like some of my colleagues and friends, I had the good fortune of seeing Hamilton last week. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Everything about it was exceptional, and as I continue listening to its soundtrack, more is revealed. Several major themes keep circling around in my mind, including standing up for what you . . . Read More
The last morning of January, the moon had all sorts of things going on. It was a super moon, when the moon appears larger because it’s closer to the Earth. Additionally, it was a blue moon because it was the second full moon in the same month. It was also a full lunar eclipse, sometimes . . . Read More
Last week I wrote about the Seed’s commitment to continuing the conversation about race and social justice. This week we stepped into it further. On Wednesday morning, our dear friend, Dr. Elsie Moore, paid a visit to the Seed and left us with much to ponder. Elsie is the director of ASU’s School of Social . . . Read More
Today is the winter solstice. I love this day because of its symbolism and how it invites us to tune in to the light within each other and ourselves. It’s a time of hope. At the Seed, it has another meaning; it’s what we celebrate this time of year as a school to be inclusive . . . Read More
Grateful grandparents, the food drive, and a sand village were a perfect combination to usher in the season of gratitude. Our wonderful grandparents group met on Monday. After addressing a few business items, grandparents arranged themselves in pairs to discuss questions around the topic of gratitude. Taken from Seth Godin’s Thanksgiving Reader (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/11/a-thanksgiving-reader.html), questions led . . . Read More
The little altar under the tree caught my eye. I saw it on my way out to Gwen’s Castle with the 3rd/4th graders the morning after Halloween. We were headed to the castle as part of Día de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead. For several weeks, many classes have been learning about this time . . . Read More
Occasionally ideas slither like a snake around the Seed, and we never know where they’ll end up. Wednesday was one of those days. Each year around Halloween, PreK students take on the study of a creature that generally creeps out humans, creatures like bats, spiders, and snakes. Snakes are this year’s chosen species. Coincidentally, the . . . Read More
It’s not my regular practice to write about individuals. I prefer to write about our Seed community, about the relationships and dynamics that keep the school a vital, living entity. Nevertheless, from time to time, a specific person catches my attention. When you hear her story, I think you’ll understand why this week’s blog is . . . Read More
Years ago, while visiting a friend near Concord, Massachusetts, we took a day trip to Walden Pond. I’ve been a fan of Thoreau since my teens, so standing in the space where he spent his two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond was significant. That day I soaked in the essence of . . . Read More
In case you thought Wednesday was a bad diaper day for the toddlers, you can be rest assured, it was merely the PreK’s batch of brussels sprouts baking in the oven. We take our nutrition study seriously and that means stepping out of our comfort zone from time to time to try new tastes . . . Read More
When I was a kid I went to a public elementary school with polished wooden floors and desks lined up in rows. It was a two-story red brick building that often felt stark and forbidding. Most of the teachers were friendly and kind, although my enthusiasm for learning varied from year to year, based on . . . Read More
Seed teachers are back at it. We started our prep week on Tuesday and it’s been an action packed few days. Currently the hallway is lined with items each teacher no longer needs, including extra random art supplies, puzzles with missing pieces, wrong sized tables or shelves, lost and found clothing, and outdated equipment. My . . . Read More
This morning a kindergartener bounced into school with a book and long strip of police badge stickers in her hands. I asked what she was carrying and she said it was a book to share about her mom, who is a police officer. I said, “That’s right. Your mom is a super hero for sure!” . . . Read More
Action figures arrived from home in sets of five. As the week unfolded, those same figures brought acceptance and respect alive in a whole new way. Over the weekend their teacher cleared enough cubicles for each child to have a personal space. Before long, the classroom looked like a colony of condos. Toys, blocks, and . . . Read More
In keeping with the Seed’s emergent curriculum model, our week of learning about feelings is gathering inspiration from the heat wave. The first and second graders used the high temperatures to launch a project called, “How I Feel In Arizona’s Summer Heat.” Their visual images certainly express how many of us feel these days, especially . . . Read More
When we met in January to develop our summer art camp curriculum, there were three major considerations: • it would be arts-based • social justice would be the underlying theme • what we chose to do had to be relevant to children Over the next several months, we pulled together resources, asked for suggestions from . . . Read More
Some things will simply not be denied. Although it’s hard to believe, on Wednesday we finished our 40th year and added fourteen more graduates to our alumni population. Since it’s a multiage class, a few will be returning for their 4th grade year in August. The rest will be scattered into the world to find . . . Read More