Spent our last day thinking about the difference between how we view and use time at school and at home (see attached high-tech hand-written worksheet.)

Several things happened that I was excited about. One, the conversation about how “it’s all too much” came up with a thoughtful visitor in the room who could put that notion to rest. Two project blocks, a bio course, a class at Penn with four helpful professors, and a CCP course with a prof who is nothing if not supportive. It’s the most help they’ll ever have but that’s something that can only be discovered, not something that can be told.

Two, the question of how we make a workspace where everyone can work came up. Again. Making it possible for all students to work in our classroom is all of our jobs; I know that it’s hard to work in school but there are things we can all do to make this possible. Some folks have great quiet spaces to work in at home while others do not; some folks need total quiet while others do well with some music. How do we make sure that the time we have is being used as efficiently and joyfully as possible?

Three, most kids noted that they get more work done when they are comfortable. I have to figure out a way to go out this — sometimes I appreciated working where I was not comfortable, where the only thing I could do was work. With some tasks, comfort actually worked against me. There’s some middle ground here, where students can feel comfortable enough to work, but not so comfortable that they relax too much.