tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578518581840678648.post8814742049611852101..comments2020-03-01T16:31:58.812-08:00Comments on A Place To Learn: Islanders and Explorers, an encounter of 2 classrooms: How do we form our identity?imaginefunlearninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189492769226356148noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578518581840678648.post-64186721047785699932012-05-10T20:41:45.738-07:002012-05-10T20:41:45.738-07:00I was impressed by how you stayed in character thr...I was impressed by how you stayed in character throughout our meeting. I also liked the "set-up" for this grand event. The commission letter/statement you read out in our classroom really added to the feeling of our hospitality being taken advantage of. It left us a bit bewildered afterwards. Now my students are thinking of ways to get King Fluffy back, and they are angry! (This is the emotion we were going for!)<br /><br />I think your letter is worth sharing, if you don't mind:)<br /><br />To the inhabitants of the island of King Fluffy,<br /><br />It is with great honor that we arrive here upon thy island as explorers of England and her royal highness Queen Victoria. God save the Queen! We hope that this brings about the economic and spiritual advancement of your people while giving our grand country and powerful God a territorial advantage in this region. We have traveled a long way to get here but we know that providence has brought us together for a reason. Let us celebrate and may our permanent presence here be a reminder of the way of civilization and the opportunities for advancing of lesser ways of existing. Please accept our flag and our Lord (a British flag and cross were placed in our classroom to claim dominion over our territory!) as symbols of our enduring friendship and the omniscient presence of England on your lands forever more. Please affirm this legal and cordial relationship with a handshake and your John Handcock as witnessed here by the men of the Endevour and before the eyes of God on this 26th day of April in the year of the Lord 2012.<br /><br />God save the Queen.imaginefunlearninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17189492769226356148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578518581840678648.post-64897534713266827512012-05-04T16:06:37.379-07:002012-05-04T16:06:37.379-07:00I am often impressed by the fact that you stuck wi...I am often impressed by the fact that you stuck with the island theme for the whole year. I wonder what your "dark days" were like when you had moments of doubt. I know that the island theme inspired me to do the same though I never initially set out for that to happen. I had doubts. I wouldn't say the whole thing was a leap of faith but thank the stars that children kept reminding me to follow up on some of the things we decided upon together, especially the visit to the island. It constantly amazes me that the children still remember all the weird facts about the ship even though I never expected them to. And the fun! Kids were emotionally engaged in wanting to see who would die next of whatever plagued the ship or to finally meet the “savages” we were destined to civilize. It makes sense, give them the context for imagination, let them negotiate what it looks like, allow for individual interpretations, join in the fun and before you know it you’re not pretending you are the HMS Endeavor, you are the HMS Endeavor. Why not also with a moon base, an underwater city, a tropical tree fort high up in the amazon forest, a serious of caves in the dessert... <br /><br /> The idea of bringing our classrooms together seemed like a natural thing but mainly because the two teachers have pedagogical beliefs that are similar. Forefront is the belief that teachers create the landscape for great experiences or dissected ones. I echo your opinion that imagination was the driver of the experience you created from day one and not a scope and sequence of PLO's. <br /><br /> I have always believed that it takes a community to raise a child and now believe that it takes a tribe to raise a teacher. One of the biggest gifts the cosmos gave me this year was the beginning of a tribe both in my building and beyond through so many connections. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing your island life with a bunch of bedraggled seafarers!<br /><br />God Save the Queen,<br /><br /><br />Captain CookAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com