It's your arc too!
Bringing the Arc to life at home
The Arc forms the foundation for learning at Brightworks by acting as a ‘keyhole’ to learning. From afar, a “keyhole” may seem small, simple and easily understood. But get closer, and look carefully and you see a whole other world on the other side. Likewise, the Arc topic offers a myriad of opportunities for curious and engaged people to question and study, as well as connections to things they already know.
At Brightworks, the whole school studies one Arc topic at a time, exploring it from different angles and at different depths based on their development readiness.
And as a parent I have found that embracing the Arc gives me new ways to connect with my kids and challenge myself.
What that has looked like is as varied as my kids’ projects!
For Book Arc, my youngest wanted to write a novel with me; so we collaborated. He wrote short stories, and I wrote a meta-tale that snuggled his stories.
During Movie Arc, I collaborated with my father, using his remembrances and voice to explore the films that drew upon and enhanced the patriotism of his generation.
More recently, during the Water Arc, I became obsessed with water, especially water in the West, and I spent my solo driving time listening to: Where the Water Goes, Cadillac Desert, The Drempt Land, and the Water Rights: Laws Guns & Money podcast. My teen and I talked about aqueducts as we drove down 5, and we had a greater appreciation of Dutch waterworks this summer.
For Monster Arc, we have discovered that monsters are everywhere. Medusa and the Minatour link naturally to my teen’s interest in mythology. Serial killers are a new area of interest fueled by 80’s horror films, the series Mind Hunters and the podcast Serial Killer Tuesdays. This summer I saw an art exhibit on Garmenting. Which I immediately interpreted as “Monster Clothing”. This Fall I may make a monster dress assembled from my various Brightworks tee shirts. But, we’ll see. I may get distracted by something else monstrous because Everything IS Interesting.
When we model curiosity and a love of learning, our children get to see how incredible the world around us is.
The first step for parents and educators to cultivate a love of learning is invite questions, and then chase them. When you align them with the topics your child is learning you can deepen your conversations, explore together and build connection. Podcasts, free classes, articles, books and museum visits are all fantastic ways to get excited and share your enthusiasm for learning. Check out the resources at the San Francisco Public Library. They have classes with Rosetta Stone, LinkedIn, Udemy, and so many more. Have fun!
-Cindy, parent of a current high schooler and a Brightworks graduate