Week2wBlue: Shh, don't tell anyone -- this isn't really about rocks.

Let's entertain a pretty important question for just a moment. It's often the elephant in the room at Brightworks (and maybe at other schools -- though I can't really speak for those other schools). It's the kind of question that gets to the core (ha, earth science joke) of what I do as an educator, and what students do as wide-eyed learners. It's the kind of question that I imagine parents secretly wonder, and administrators dedicate their professional lives to making happen. And this question, it's a pretty heavy question to ask on week 2, and it's the kind of question that we're going to return to over and over for the rest of the year, and with any luck, for the rest of our lives.But, stick with me.What if the Rock Arc isn't really about rocks?I know. It might seem too soon to ask this question.We've barely scratched the surface (ha) or cracked into (double ha) the real material at hand. We've just started talking about the rock cycle, and earthquakes, and erosion. We haven't even gotten into the real nitty-gritty of rock identification or the ways in which rocks and minerals sneak into our daily lives. The Blue Band has only really left the building twice to go out and experience the rocks in the city and we certainly haven't heard from many experts yet.Believe it or not, Friday was only day seven. Day seven might seem really soon to question the very base foundation of our studies at Brightworks, but if we're not here to ask great questions, then why are we here together at all?And if we're not here in the Rock Arc to learn about rocks, then furthermore, why are we here together at all?Week two wasn't really about rocks. It was about learning why we're here.The nine people in the Blue Band space are here to create a supporting community. We are here to love and challenge and help one another. We are here make our space a space where we can discuss and learn together safely.We're really here to try to translate the ideas in our heads to a medium that other people can see or hear or also experience, so that those other people can also learn about our ideas. We are really here to transfer knowledge, and learn ways to do that more effectively and creatively and better and better and better.Sometimes we are going to practice transferring knowledge by learning about rocks. Sometimes we are going to do that by trying to look at a wooden sculpture, drawing it, and then giving those blueprints to another person who will try to make that same sculpture. Sometimes we will transfer knowledge by answering a question of the day, or writing a blog post.Sometimes this will be really easy. And sometimes we are going to fail at this practice.But that's why we call it practice.This week, the Blue Band practiced asking important questions. They challenged each other, and certainly me, to be better and work better as a team. They practiced a lot of self-directed learning opportunities, and also took the time to work through ideas in more structured activities. I'm pretty confident that they had a lot of fun practicing, and I'm looking forward to seeing how we all turn it up a notch in Week 3.