Wonder

The article in the Denver Post several weeks ago, "Awaiting---still-- a renaissance of wonder" by Michal Mazenko really made me think about my students as we start another school year. Many of you have already blogged about that article (Marlys, as usual, very eloquently) but I keep thinking about it and the word "wonder". Francis Bacon said, "For all knowledge and wonder (which is the seed of knowledge) is an impression of pleasure in itself." We all have experienced the pleasure that comes with wondering about something and then pursuing it until we have gained the knowledge that we desire. Often, it seems, when you are on this quest, you just lose yourself in time and space. I feel very fortunate that this happens alot to me in the teaching profession as I'm always wondering how I can improve, what I could do differently that would benefit the students, how can I become more proficient at using technology and the list goes on. I also feel that wonder when I'm speaking Spanish, learning about antiques or pursuing photography or traveling. I must admit that during the summer when I have more time I feel that sense of wonder more.

Sometimes I feel like it really does take some downtime or at least a slower pace to truly have the time to wonder and pursue knowledge. So, how do I help my students to feel that sense of wonder about learning Spanish, especially given their busy schedules and workload? That will be a guiding question for me this year. I'm not sure if my passion for learning Spanish is enough to "light the fire". So, I wonder about how to get my students to wonder.

The future of 21C

Is it really possible that we won't have 21C next year because we don't have any funding? After I left our last meeting, I thought about the impact that 21C has had on me personally and on all the other teachers that are part of this innovative educational group and felt very dismayed that unless we get funding for next year we may not be able to continue with our mission. We should be talking about how to expand the group to other teachers to make a Cohort 3 rather than talking about how to find enough money to continue with what we have started.

I really believe that we are impacting the education of our students because of the discussions that we have and the new ideas we are implementing. Karl, you are amazing and a great leader in this endeavor.

Now, I believe it's up to all of us to help find a way to fund 21C next year. I could be over-reacting, but it seems that this is a challenge that really needs to be resolved by all of us, as soon as possible. Does anyone have the time and the experience to write a grant? Could there be a business/educational partnership? Is there any kind of a foundation that would fund 21C and maybe even (wishful thinking) provide a laptop for every student? What are the possibilities? So everyone out there in "global bloggerland" ......any ideas? Or even better yet, any money to fund a group of teachers led by an innovative educator in an amazing school who are eager to continually improve the education of our students?