Tomis Parker: Week One+entry

With one week in the books here at ELL, I am feeling good about the progress that has been made thus far. During the weeks leading up to ELL, I had so many ideas cycling through my brain about my project; I was anxious to get here and to get down to business. The first couple of days unfolded slowly and required a lot of patience on my part. Ultimately, I think this was a good thing -- it required me to step back and stay present. 

 

Despite having undergone many renovations last summer the lab space regressed a bit, which required a collective effort to revitalize our environment and create the workspace we wanted for the rest of the summer. This process is still evolving and will continue throughout the summer, but after a week we are now at a place where work can be done and participants can begin launching into their projects.

 

I have been extremely grateful for the Quaker Intentional Village Community who has supported the program in many ways; the community dinners we have enjoyed all week have been nourishing on many levels. So far, I have had the opportunity to engage almost everyone in conversation about their story and path to ELL and the project work that inspires them. This has been essential to providing context for our collective work and allowing me to feel comfortable in my own skin. I also had the pleasant surprise of being hosted by Becky Meier, the daughter of Deborah Meier, whom I have heard speak at several alternative education conferences. Becky has been extremely hospitable, friendly, and supportive. 

 

So far, my only real frustration is with not having my own car while I am here. It is difficult to rely on others for rides everywhere -- not so much in that they are unreliable, but because of the independence that is lost and the feeling of inconveniencing others. I struggled with leaving family and friends behind in NYC at a critical time, and feel somewhat disconnected from important relationships that I have there. It would be helpful to be able to navigate Chatham and the network of homes, labs, and activities here with my own vehicle, and feel like I could head back to the city easily on the weekends. I will get to return to NYC next weekend, which will be helpful. 

 

For week 2, I have the goal of launching a new website for The Agile Learning Center at Manhattan Free School. This is a delicate goal to have, because I am relying on a good bit of the work to come from other people (a parent at the school and significant support from Arthur). My part will be producing the copy and making sure we finish up a logo design. I'm looking forward to making big strides in the coming days.