BlueBlueBlueBlue: Upper School Band Swap Week 4

I gotta be honest.I've waited three weeks for this.I've waited three long weeks for the Band Swap to cycle through and for Band Band to come back to me.Welcome home, Friends. I'm so ready to blow your minds.The Collaborators structured the schedule of the Upper School Band Swap so that during the fourth week of the Swap we would be with our own Band. It would be right before going on spring break, and it would also give us three other weeks to tweak and perfect the curriculum before we dove into the content with the kids we are so familiar with.Let's talk about familiarity for just a second, though -- it can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Familiarity can create situations where the content seems boring because the content delivery system (me) has lost its newness and sparkle. Being so familiar with the patterns and habits of such a small group of human can make it harder to pay attention or to stay interested or to continue to be invested. Sometimes newness (the opposite of familiarity) creates an inspiring space where everything is actually interesting.Everything. Is. Interesting.That was the idea behind the Band Swap: mix it up, create a new context, introduce a new voice and new content, and create investment at a time in the school year when things might seem routine or unexciting.So then, it would be understandable that on week four of the Band Swap, when Bands return to their home Collaborator, that the Collaborator might be a little nervous. The flock got a chance to go roam around for three weeks and see what else is out there. Learn new things. From different people. In difference spaces. Now they're back....and what if I'm no longer interesting?Okay, I'm going to be so honest right now.Blue Band, you blew my mind this week!Familiarity worked to my advantage (and yours, for sure). You were so invested in the content. You thought everything was so interesting. You asked great questions and helped connect the dots with some equally great conclusions. You thought critically and deeply about some really hard subject matter. Our conversations were so intense (so intense, in fact, that our East Bay teacher friend Dana sent us snacks, see protocol (spelling is hard) line item #6).This blog post could go on and on about all wonderful, amazing, mind-blowing things that happened this week. There were so many. This was my favorite week of the Band Swap, for sure. I could easily write an individual post about each of the amazing moments. (And I still might, but not now).In interest of time, let's recap. Blue Band, do you...

• ...remember when we talked about gentrification in the Mission for so long that we were almost late to our field trip?
• ...remember when we watched that video about the Sit-In Movement of the 1960s and we couldn't believe how that women who was saying that allowing African Americans to eat at the same restaurant as her might be a violation of her civil rights?
• ...remember when you were watching that video about Gavin Newsom with Violet Band and you were "Booooo-ing" the television? And then you were cheering at the television?
• ...remember when you suggested that marriage be misspelled "merraje" in order for a state to circumvent the Defense of Marriage Act?
• ...remember when we talked about Lawrence vs. Texas? Remember how confusing and hard and also important that was to talk about?
• ...remember that afternoon when you asked me why I went to talk to the Chartreuse Band about gender identity? Do you remember how supportive you were when I explained why?
• ...remember when we went to the Kadist Foundation to see the Hank Willis Thomas exhibition, and the curator Heidi was so nice, and you all were so curious and attentive, and then you insisted that we watch the entire 29 minute video piece end to end? And then we were late for Park?
• ...remember when you called that crayon image "genius"?

I do.I remember all those things.Thank you for being so invested and creative and curious. It was a pleasure to teach you about civil rights this past week and have it be so well received. I can't wait to see what you come up with for your Band Swap projects, and I also can't wait to see how this experiment influences your Human Arc projects.(Yes, that's right -- it's almost project time again!)Enjoy the rest of your Spring Break and see you next week.