Sunday, November 25, 2012

November 2012


Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a glorious Thanksgiving.  Please know that amongst the many things I am thankful for, teaching your children is at the top of my list. There are moments throughout the day where I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this magical school and the opportunity to watch your children fall in love with learning.  I hope I can capture their joy, and mine, in this blog.

The Washington, DC adventure was a booming success.  I dropped Jane, Jorun, Laura and Ms. Katie off at the sculpture garden and went to park my car.  Upon entering the garden I was met with shrieks of glee, "Ms. Reed,  Ms. Reed," they screamed and grabbed my hand, "they have an Alexander Calder stabile!"  You would have thought it was Christmas.  They dragged me to the Cheval Rouge (Red Horse) and proceeded to regale me, and other awed visitors, with information about the artist.  As their classmates trickled in they mobbed the structure, amazed by it's size, vibrant color and engineering genius.  We even made a mini-documentary with my phone.  Their appreciation and understanding of all they had read and researched about Alexander Calder was brought to life through this meaningful experience.  And this was just the beginning!

We strolled over to the east wing of the National Gallery of Art and I pointed out the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building.  Since we had just recently discussed the election, they of course were filled with curiosity about what went on beneath the nine million pound dome. A five minute walk turned into an in depth discussion about American government.  We proceeded into the gallery and met our wonderful tour guide Rosalie, who began by telling us she had read both of the books that had inspired the trip, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Chasing Vermeer.  From painting to painting, we ohhhhhhed and ahhhhhhed but it wasn't until we met face to face with The Lady Writing that they truly came to life.  When asked to comment on Vermeer's work they could barely get their hands up fast enough.  Mikey said that although he was starving, he would rather skip the cafeteria and spend the whole day with The Lady Writing.   Asa said it made her sad to even think about leaving DC without her.  Rosalie, our docent, was impressed by their poise, investment, bank of knowledge and ability to apply what they had learned.  The next day she called Stacey to say they had been beyond outstanding.

After the east wing we headed over to stand beneath the giant Calder mobile in the east wing.  The children marveled at its size. Knowing that Calder had studied engineering, they had a great appreciation for the process he went through to create this enormous, balanced piece of art.  The day before they had tried their hand at a Calder inspired engineering challenge - to  create a stabile, without using glue or tape.  The exercise proved to be difficult and rewarding.  It made them appreciate Calder's genius that much more.  After admiring the mobile from every angle we visited the Calder room.  The children were mesmerized by the stabiles and the shadows they projected on the walls.  Gus got down on his belly to examine the work from a different perspective.  Many of them got out their sketchbooks and drew what they saw.  Some wrote stories inspired by the art.  Others engaged in conversations that were rich beyond their years, debating and comparing the merits of Alexander Calder and Johannes Vermeer.

The Air and Space Museum was next.  The children watched To Fly through engineer's eyes.  Afterwards we discussed all of the engineering feats that were featured in the film.  They of course missed nothing.  We meandered about the museum and talked about aeronautical and aerospace designs.  Many of them have ambitious career goals!  The museum served as a perfect springboard for our moon study.

We waltzed up Capitol Hill under a moonlit sky.  There was a bite to the wind but what gave me chills was listening in on their conversations.  Amidst singing and laughing of second and third graders, there was a palpable sense of accomplishment and pride.  Seven, eight and nine year olds were comparing great artists.  They were discussing which ones motivated and moved them.  They were connecting what they had seen to what they had read, researched and written.  They were inspired by engineering feats of giant mobiles and complex rocket ships.  Their prior knowledge and understanding combined with this rich experience transported them to a whole new level of learning and they were giddy.  So was I.

Thank you for trusting me with your children.  This was an ambitious trip and I am grateful for your support.

Best,

Karin