First, I want to say thanks for all the kind words in response to my mom’s passing, the cards, flowers, and generous donations of trees in her memory. My heart was quite touched. In all honesty, my initial response to her death was relief. As this week has unfolded, I’ve moved into forgiveness. I’m intentionally . . . Read More
Sunday late afternoon, I was heading back home from a walk. We live in a neighborhood called The Pines, named for the dozens of pine trees planted in residents’ yards. Over the past two decades, many of them have died and been replaced with more desert-friendly varieties, such as palo verde, mesquite, and Chinese elm . . . Read More
There’s a theme emerging from our new climbing structure: I couldn’t do it, then I practiced. In under ten days, examples of strength, determination, courage, and triumph have shown up over and over. It’s a beautiful sight to behold. On the first day of school, one of the PreK students stood at the edge . . . Read More
On Monday, June 19, the Seed will be closed in honor of Juneteenth for the first time in the school’s history. Now a federal holiday, Britt Hawthorne describes it as a day “to commemorate the day that enslaved Black Texans in the U.S. were finally free.” It’s the longest Black American holiday to be celebrated, . . . Read More
It’s been three mornings of celebrating each and every Seed child. One class at a time gathered beneath our huge shade trees on the playground to honor the excellent year we’ve had. Starting on Wednesday morning with the Toddler 1s students, parents arrived to join the ceremony, cameras in hand. Their ceremony was an exercise . . . Read More
One of my favorite annual Seed traditions started years ago and continues to this day. Each year Changing Hands Bookstore donates a gift card to each of our Seed graduates, and the school matches the amount on the card. It’s an arrangement that originated with Gayle Shanks, co-founder of Changing Hands, whose son, Michael, and . . . Read More
In every class there is a flurry of creativity that will translate into Mother’s Day gifts. Without revealing any top secret surprises, it’s heartwarming to see such an outpouring of appreciation to the moms who are such important members of our community. The Preschool 4s class held an extra special celebration in honor of their . . . Read More
Yesterday afternoon I returned from a week in Nebraska. Most of that time was spent with my extremely elderly parents, who are hanging on by a thread. Still living in their own house, they are daily supported by my brother and his wife, and one of our neighbors who is a childhood friend. The intention . . . Read More
As Earth Day rolls around, we take time to reflect on our practices at the Seed to evaluate how we’re doing and what we can do better. As I look around, one area in which we’ve improved significantly is with lunches and water bottles. Throughout the school, children of all ages are utilizing reusable containers, . . . Read More
On Thursday I was sitting under the loft in the 1st/2nd grade class with one of the first graders, finishing up the final touches of his published book about museums. Although we were highly focused on his book, I couldn’t help but be distracted by what was going on with the rest of the class. . . . Read More
So many life lessons happen in the sand circle. The Seed playground continues to provide opportunities that serve as a microcosm of the way the world works. A brief time supervising the Early 3s during their Monday recess did just that. During the pandemic we removed many of the pots and pans from the . . . Read More
We still have two months till the end of the school year, and already it feels like we’re in motion toward that ending. Lately I’ve witnessed multiple examples of growth toward mastery of skills practiced for, in some cases, years. Snippets of paper with invented spelling that a year ago was unreadable, now hold words . . . Read More
This week I’ve had the opportunity to observe our three youngest classes as part of our annual teacher evaluation process. Additionally, we had another teacher presentation from our professional development series featuring classroom practices. These experiences, as well as more time doing playground supervision, gave me plenty to write about. When I looked for a . . . Read More
You’ve probably seen extra vans parked in our lot these past two weeks, and plenty of ladders and equipment strewn in different parts of the school. At last, our new fire surveillance panel has been installed, and the final details are being worked out. It feels great to have this upgrade behind us. We received . . . Read More
To be fully transparent, I’ve had trouble focusing on my work this week. It’s not that I haven’t tried, my mind is merely elsewhere. I made a list of upcoming projects to inspire concentration, and still my attention wanders to faraway beaches on the Arabian Sea, and brightly colored clothing of the Indian people. Glancing . . . Read More
We’ve been practicing social justice at the Seed since we first began in 1977. Granted, our students were very young and there were just a few of them, but even in those early days we talked about saving the planet and being kind to each other. Over time, as we grew larger and expanded our . . . Read More
This entire week has been one of preparations. Danielle and I have focused most of our attention on setting up schedules, staffing, and the calendar for upcoming aspects of our program. For example, we have been talking about registration for the 2023-2024 school year, considering placement decisions and classroom configurations. We have had conversation about . . . Read More
Despite all the hustle and bustle the season, I love this week of school leading up to the winter break. The winter solstice falls right in the middle of it, which is an added bonus. Over the years, the winter solstice has become one of my favorite days of the year. I like the history . . . Read More
It’s been a week. It was Thursday before I was able to work at my desk for any length of time. As predicted by the media, the trifecta of winter ailments (covid, influenza, and RSV) has hit our staff and their families hard. We seem to be slowly coming out of it, but there’s the . . . Read More
First of all, thanks to all of you who purchased bricks to support the playground project. We look forward to adding them to the current collection near the ramp to the playground. Now, as we slide into December, we will begin our capital campaign for the remainder of funds needed for our playground structure. . . . Read More
From time to time, situations arise that force us to reflect on our practices and policies. We use these situations to refine what we do, driven by what’s best for children, what’s safe, and what works in a school setting. Such is the case of sticks and roughhousing. Sticks have always been a part . . . Read More
How can it be that we’re already entering the second half of November? The cooler days make it seem more believable, yet it’s all going so quickly. On the agenda for the Seed in the coming weeks is our annual gathering the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In years past, each class cooked an item to contribute . . . Read More
Over the weekend I traveled to Cheney, Washington, for my friend Elaine’s celebration of life. I was invited to join her family at their lake home for a Saturday afternoon gathering in her honor. Their house felt like a shrine to Elaine Surbeck, with photos of every stage of her life filling walls and . . . Read More
In preparation for a writing lesson about pumpkin seeds with the 3rd/4th graders, I found these few lines from a poem from “Jerusalem,” a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye: “There’s a place in my brain where hate won’t grow. I touch its riddle: wind, and seeds. Something pokes us as we sleep. It’s late but . . . Read More