a callico caticorn

Yesterday my high school students finished priming the Bevins Skiffs in preparation for paint, and my first, second and third grade students made toy unicorns. I had planned to also give them the opportunity to make troll dolls, but ran out of time. That can come on Wednesday unless we get distracted.

One student decided she wanted to make a caticorn instead of a unicorn. Who has heard of such things?

Years ago, an old friend, Louis Freund was trying to get the city of Eureka Springs to preserve its Victorian buildings and homes by developing the whole city as an historic district. He argued, that while Colonial Williamsburg was (at great effort and expense) attempting to recreate an old town nearly from scratch, all the city of Eureka Springs had to do was preserve what we had. The city in response passed the necessary ordinances to preserve our historic architecture and Victorian charm that draws 750,000 visitors each year.

One might apply similar logic to the education of children and recognizing the need for preserving their creativity. In American schooling we try endlessly to shape them from the ground up and stifle their natural development. We might instead, simply recognize and protect their creativity, and provide the circumstances for it to be expressed.

Did you notice that the catacorn has heart shaped spots?

Make, fix, and create. Establish the circumstances for others to learn likewise.