You may notice the beautiful bulletin board in the hallway, celebrating the Ramadan holiday. It’s part of a year-long effort to represent and celebrate the various cultures of our Seed families. Prior to the Ramadan display being installed, I was asked to review the content of the material that was going to be used, to make . . . Read More
The days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday look different from what they used to prior to the pandemic. For decades each class selected a food item and was responsible for preparing it for a school-wide feast. After a few songs with Jay, items like green beans, applesauce, quesadillas, cookies, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and . . . 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
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
Tuesday night I set foot on US soil again after two and a half weeks of traveling to India. Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call from my daughter, welcoming me back, and she put my three-year-old great-granddaughter on the phone. She asked, “Mamie, did you have a good day in India?” I told her . . . 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
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
We’re settling in. We’ve nearly completed our third week of school, and routines are beginning to come together. Although some children still need extra hugs before saying goodbye, and others express missing a parent, for the most part we’re getting used to being together again. It’s a time of new learning on many levels. Names . . . Read More
In a recent interview with Mark Nepo, he offered an idea I’ve been thinking about for days. He said, “In the Middle Ages in Europe for about 300-350 years, only 10% of the European population was literate. That means 10% of the people living in Europe at that time kept literacy for 300 years. Whatever it . . . Read More
I first met Elsie Moore in the late 1980s, around the time of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. I remember vividly sitting at a low table with Elsie and her husband, Wade. They were looking for a kindergarten program for their eldest son, Arthur. She was pregnant with her third son, Allen. As always, she was . . . Read More
You might notice the sticker recently adhered to the glass door of our Little Free Library. It came with the books and materials for the READ IN COLOR program sponsored by the Little Free Library Foundation, with books provided through Southwest Human Development. Their mission statement says: “READ IN COLOR aims to promote the distribution . . . Read More
It’s been a full, challenging, yet productive week. As Covid closes in on our little Seed community, we continue to do all we can to keep everyone safe and well. I spent another week with the 3rd/4th graders, and our time together did not disappoint. Instead of a blog from me this week, I wanted . . . Read More
Excitement is growing for our upcoming Welcoming the Winter Solstice: Darkness to Light celebration next Thursday, December 16. Artwork made by our students is showing up everywhere around the building, including bigger-than-life puffins and an igloo decorated with cotton balls. Personalized six-pointed stars sparkle in the hallway, and holiday desert cacti await final touches. . . . Read More
Last Friday the Seed was inundated with collard greens. Cases of greens arrived along with bags of ingredients to prepare the greens for eating. The collard greens were part of a program called The Blue Watermelon Project. Their website describes the project in this way: “Inspired and led by the efforts of Chef Charleen Badman of . . . Read More
This week has felt heavier than recent ones. No matter how much sleep I get, or how much coffee I consume, I’m still tired. I look forward to coming to school every day, and it still feels heavy. Perhaps it’s true that we’re collectively experiencing pandemic fatigue. Although some restrictions have lifted, there’s still more . . . Read More
It’s the time of year when we start talking about the holidays, especially how to approach them in a developmentally appropriate, socially conscious way. Actually, we’ve been in serious conversation about this for more than a year, according to my blog from a year ago. For as long as I can remember, we’ve used The Anti-bias . . . Read More
I spent last week in the small town in Nebraska where I grew up. Although the days were warm, autumn was in the air. None of the trees were turning colors yet, and the greenery in front of my parents’ house was plentiful. Near the driveway was a plant that had poofy white flowers that . . . Read More
Thursday morning a coyote crossed my path on my morning walk, just as I was listening to a conversation where the participants were sharing quotes that inspire hope. Here’s one of the quotes: “People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, . . . Read More
On Sunday we received news that our long time friend, Deborah Cox, passed away. Deborah and her family have been a part of the Seed’s history for decades. Prior to retirement, she served as the assistant director of the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. It was through Deborah and her family . . . Read More
One morning on the playground a student ran up to me and announced that there were animal tracks in the mud under a tree. I wandered over to check them out, and sure enough, there was plenty of proof that we’d had a four-legged visitor, or visitors. My first guess was that it might be . . . Read More
Our planned conversation about Dr. Seuss books was postponed until after spring break. It’s a topic our entire lead staff is interested in, particularly as we develop curriculum that supports social justice. We needed more time, and I have confidence that it will be a robust conversation when it happens. In the mean time, other . . . Read More
Yesterday was another day of challenging news, and although I’ve vowed to give myself some space from all of the listening and reading, I’m having a hard time staying away from it. I want to know what’s going on in the world. I want to be informed so I can be a better teacher, leader, . . . Read More
The other day I noticed this beautiful sunflower on the verge of blooming. Two bees were scurrying about in the center where seeds will eventually form. It was perfect timing for a day early in the new year. Months before this moment of unfurling, I devoted considerable time and energy to protecting the seedling that . . . Read More