meeting the demands of a practiical life.

A friend gave me a book, Educating through Arts and Crafts, a Waldorf education book edited by Michael Martin. I hope to read carefully through it, as the objectives are nearly the same as my own  — that we recognize the fullness of the whole child and address the needs of engaging head, heart and hands in the fullness of whole life.

Today nearly marks the end of my Christmas break. I take my daughter to the airport this  morning so she can return to her life teaching in New York. When I get back, I'll sand boxes so they can be finished and delivered to the U of A. Then I begin charting my return to classes on Wednesday.  We have  boats to finish with the high school students, and fun things for the younger ones, also. The following is from Educating through Arts and Crafts.

The hand is insatiably hungry for experiences. It is not content with merely touching and grasping objects. It wants to become skilled, to develop faculties, to learn to do things with the object it grasps. — Ernst Bühler

In the meantime, and in too many schools, children are asked to be manageable, and to sit at desks with hands stilled. Children want to be learning to do practical things for themselves, for their families and communities, and we must enable them to do so.

Make, fix, create and assist others to learn likewise.