Almost School

Hi everyone! I have been getting some nice feedback recently about those of you who are reading the blog- so thank you!
We’ve all been really busy here at the school preparing for school to start on Monday. My team of teachers and I have been calling parents, getting school supplies, trying to make sure the classroom is ready (enough), and attending workshops. By this point in time I’ve realized that the faculty and staff should have arrived several months ago to prepare for this big "experiment." Really, a month to design an entirely new curriculum is quite the task! Actually, this is something I’ve been meaning to ask Mom, a fellow school teacher. How long did it take to design your CSI course? Imagine that, but then designing the rest of the curriculum for grades K-8 in less than 30 days time!
Despite all the last minute hassles, I feel extremely lucky to have this opportunity to create the type of school I believe in. Susan, Ingrid, and I have asked for complete autonomy in the way we run our classroom- and we’ve been granted it! We’ve designed the daily schedule, and we’re going to write some of our own songs and stories to reflect the themes of the month. We have plans for all sorts of special guests to come into the class to demonstrate their expertise for the students. First week will be Chakra, the permaculturalist on campus, who will garden with the students around the classroom. We want to get the gardens going as soon as possible so the kids know where their food is coming from! You won’t see any canned food or supermarket logos around this campus. Second week we’re going to have Kristin come in, the German toy-maker whose working with Green School for a month before she returns to Germany. She’s an expert in making toys out of bamboo. Besides being a great expirience for teachers who really want to design their own classroom space, it really is even better for the students who will arrive next week- they get to build their own toys, plant their own food,…they are really the ones who will ultimately shape the Green School path for the future. Pretty lucky kids if you ask me!
Will be busy this weekend with celebrations, holidays, and extra prep work.. Tomorrow night "the villagers" are hosting a pot-luck for one of our colleagues who will be leaving Green School next week. I plan on making a big bowl of guacamole! There will also be some cooking involved..just hope the electricity holds up for us! Saturday is Kuningan here in Bali- a very important holiday held every 220 days. Between Galungan and Kuningan is the time that Balinese believe their ancestors are released into the physical world. The temple ceremony I went to last weekend was really an incredible experience and I hope to visit a temple again this Saturday with some Balinese friends. This time I need to get appropriate temple clothing beforehand! (I was casually dressed in a t-shirt and sarong last night- not exactly "beautiful")
I’ll do my best to put some pics up after this weekend, and of course when the kids arrive!