today in the css wood shop

My 4th, 5th and 6th grade students worked on our toy car project, gluing loose wheels, sanding rough edges and making sure they reflect some level of quality work. They would have preferred to just do inventive work of their own inspiration, but there are days when you just have to buckle down and just work. I had to be the tough task master.

After school I saw a student from years past who is currently being home schooled. He asked if there was some way he could arrange to be in wood shop. I am very pleased that the idea of wood shop still excites him.

This afternoon, the high school students worked on the lathe and began work in jewelry making, using tools given to the school by a friend who is dying of lung cancer. And on a much sadder note, our development director at Clear Spring School passed away last night from a long bout with lung cancer. He was a true champion of progressive education and we all mourn his passing.

Life, after all, is shorter than we want it to be in most cases. It is made shorter still by hurrying through at breakneck speed. One of the surest ways to sustain it is to take note of the passage of time in our own hands as we shape, fix, make and create things of useful beauty to share with those we do love. There are times when we makers become so deeply engaged in the work at hand, that time stands still. "Aren't you coming to bed?" It's called flow, or being in the "zone." "No, please, not yet, I'm having too much fun." And what seemed like moments were really hours as we cook, make, create, fix, nourish and sustain.