getting ready...

I leave for teaching in Portland Oregon on Thursday, so I am getting a few things ready each day. Yesterday I sharpened the school's set of sloyd knives for use during my woodworking education symposium. I have files and files to load on my hard drive and articles to gather for printing and distribution.

Yesterday in the school wood shop, my middle school and high school students worked on guitars and the upper elementary students worked on their checker sets.

One of my middle school students who is working on the chess set shown below has discovered an interesting thing about herself. She is a synesthete, meaning that her senses cross. She is lucky enough to see colors in response to touch, and was pleased to learn that not only does she have interesting qualities, they can be understood and explained to others who may not be so gifted.

There is a website that offers a test to see if you are a synesthete: Synesthete.org

Anyone who does anything real with the intention of benefiting others will know something about how craftsmanship connects one to the whole of humanity (and beyond.) Barbara Bauer (in a private email) mentioned Heidigger's term Dasein, which according to Wikipedia means the following:

(German pronunciation: [ˈdaːzaɪn]) is a German word which means "being there" or "presence" (German: da "there"; sein "being") often translated in English with the word "existence". It is a fundamental concept in the existential philosophy of Martin Heidegger, particularly in his magnum opus Being and Time.

Can you imagine schooling that might take that into consideration? Most schooling in America these days would have you watching the clock and looking for the nearest exit. I was of course reminded of Froebel's concept Gliedganzes through which the intent of learning was to discover oneself in relation to the whole of existence... to find one's place within the natural world as well as within the fabric of community and humanity. By making beautiful and useful objects, one can find hope of that.

Make, fix, create, and extend to others the chance of learning likewise.