Thursday, July 6, 2017

Unfinished Symphony: Exhibit Unveiling

It starts tabula rasa, blank mind, square one, clean slate. Abandoned for the summer, waiting patiently for the din of learning to return.The first voice of the year yet to be heard. Footsteps absent, the shiny veneer adding to the inauguration. Ideas have not formulated nor come to fruition. They are swirling phantoms of yesteryear. A distant echo of former learning, whispering as the door opens, beckoning you in. There is an emptiness here but it lacks the feeling of isolation, it is more a sense of possibility. Lights off, desks stacked, counters crowded. The speckles of dust sparkle as they rise from their surfaces, divulging memories. muttering suggestions. Don't put the desks here, put the makerspace there. The first notes of the sonata begin, the duet between area and curator. The semblance of space and conception, locale and depiction. Crescendo.

The slow movement, melodic and calm: Adagio begins. Students and classroom transform from distant friends to comrades and brothers in arms. The battle, to acquire knowledge. The war, to fight against disrespect, distrust and remoteness. The walls become a staging ground for growth, bearing the flag of new endeavors and victories. Every nook and cranny a source of inspiration and possibility. Ever flowing, ever changing course dependent on the campaign. There is no need for retreat here. Every onset surges the garrison ahead. The only casualty, ignorance. With knowledge and strategy comes contingency and investigation leading to further scrutiny. The new quest undiscovered, unexplored, unidentified forms, drawing students in its direction. The calm livens to anticipation. Willing participants become generals, leaders, conductors of their orchestra of information.

Students enter and exit, leaving their imprint on the edges and curves. First days of uncertainty, lead into a cozy, comfortable culture. Tintinnabulation of activity and the pandemonium of collaboration and independence: conversion to a fast-paced environment. The exhibit of learning and growth is unveiling itself. The forum is amplifying the excitement, eagerness, evolution of a new synergy, a synthesis of advantage, preference and allegiance. It is not everyone for oneself, but together for stability. The rise and flow of challenge and struggle, ebbs with a sense of confidence and reciprocity. Teacher becomes participant, students become an association and together in concert a partisanship. Each unencumbered by fear, they form an alliance of support and autonomy. There is no need to finish the race, it is ongoing. No one feels the need to sever ties because these fetters are not binding. They are so soothing and secure they keep the community connected and malleable.

Unfinished symphony, the music may pick up pace or ease to a low tempo but it is never finished. The score and scale ever changing to fit the needs of students. The exhibit of learning, gallery of growth, menagerie of literacy, science and mathematics is continual and flexible. Unceasingly adding layers of complexity, perplexity and mystery. Each day a tabula rasa, an opportunity to try something new, take risks and a possibility for the unexpected to occur. Failure needs to not be a hazard that needs warning signs, but a prospect, pick ax and gold pan in hand. A gold rush is rare, but achievable with hard work and patience. There are gems, however, embedded every where students just need to be provided with the tools to find them. With some freedom and nudging they will actively seek them out. This ultimately creates a sense of both urgency and excitement leading to a treasure trove of wisdom. Unveiling itself with a rhythm set by teacher and student: fantastic adventures, magical flights of fancy and unimaginable prosperity.



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