The Sonikcycle Syndicate

HTFS: Week 3 — I suppose that some of the proclivity to boredom among teens is inherent to the age. After 14 or 15 years of life, the world is not quite the captivating spectacle of new and mysterious phenomena it once was, and for most the habit of being proactive in occupying the mind to avoid boredom has yet to form.

In the context of a so-called democratic free school one might expect boredom to be at a minimum. However, not infrequently do I hear, “I’m sooo bored!” In a public school where students have little choice in what and when they study I expect such sentiments since coercion breeds, among other things, boredom. But when one is free to pursue one’s passions at will there remains no excuse for scholastic boredom.

I wonder how much of this is just teen spirit, or a part of the “deschooling” process some of the students are still going through, or simple ignorance of the vast opportunity that comes from this enviable amount of freedom. I’m sure it’s all of these things and then some. In any event, it is my challenge to convert boredom into exciting curiosity… I think I can, I think I can )>>>

We’re just beginning to settle on a groove, which means there’s still a fair bit of discordance as newcomers get acquainted with oldcomers, students come and students go, classes start taking shape, and choices begin to take effect.

On Tuesday, Isaac, myself, and 7 students went to the Step Up for Kids rally at the NY State capitol building where, plied with the promise of pizza, some of our students “volunteered” to represent up on the steps in front of the crowd ;o)>>>

The highlight of the week came Wednesday when a troubled young lad got kicked out, never to return. His violent outbursts on the basketball court and in the subsequent all-school council meeting were the last straw. Then there was the fact that he kept saying he didn’t want to be at the Free School, which is the prime condition. The fact is, the whole scene just broke my heart. I won’t go into the details, so, suffice it to say that this kid has A LOT stacked up against him and at the same time he can intentionally be very provocative (especially for other teens with plenty of their own issues) which makes it really hard to figure out how best to help him. The Free School elders believe that had he come as a youngster under the “no medication” policy of the K–8 Free School and with all the time and room he might’ve needed to settle his issues, things might’ve worked out better. Alas, that didn’t happen and now the poor lad is quite damaged and I can hardly bear to imagine what’s in store for him in this life. I pray for the best.

On a more upbeat note, the week ended with a fun and interesting field trip with my ethnoexperimusicology class to a sound installation in the Nott Memorial, and to Jackson’s Garden, both of which are on the campus of Union College in Schenectady.

The ball is finally rolling in earnest! My 2 classes (World Music and Digital Storytelling & Web Publishing) got off the ground nicely and I’m still finding it hard to believe that I’m able to offer up such fun (for me) classes. This week I played more basketball than I have in the last 20 years, and I’m looking forward to at least a modicum of fitness as these kids will certainly keep me running ;o)>>>

The week was capped by a Friday night auction of the art from the BoardedUP project at the Grand street Community Arts center (right around the corner from here). On Saturday I joined the HTFS staff on a trip to see the Salvador Dali exhibit at MoMA in New York City. Wonderful time, wonderful week!

With a typically relaxed departure and a 2-hour delay at the Canada-USA border (a good chunk of which was due to having been pulled out of line as a possible terrorist), I arrived in Albany late Friday night. Saturday morning brought a warm welcome from Ms. Nancy, and various members of the Free School cult…AHEM…community ;o)>>> and temporary lodging in the Family Life Center.

Today was the first day of work. We spent the day cleaning, organizing, and discussing how best to utilize the building spaces. I worked mostly in the computer room clearing out junk, cleaning dust and grime,and reorganizing all of the machines and their respective cables. It felt good to be doing something, even if only in anticipation of the students to come.

My gonzo run to Albany was smooth and eventful. I spent a wonderful day hanging out with the Free School folks as part of their internship application process. Suffice it to say, I am inspired and excited at the prospect of working in a free and democratic learning environment – one of my many dreams come true!

Now, back to the diss… ;o)>>>