11 March, 2019

Another round of reflection in process and this time it’s a good look at my work and how I can do things in a different way. This year is proving to be an interesting one with a number of quite heavy challenges. My senior courses are all project-based and student-driven and the classroom is now much more like a Design studio.The junior classes are all working on projects that mix digital technologies with fabrication and simple Design process. The seniors are all working with Design Thinking (based on the approach used at the d.school) and are beginning to define their projects. The back of the room is a fabrication area now and also sports the arcade machine that I built a few years back. It is all working as expected and a few more students are beginning to understand and appreciate the approach. Some are still bombing furiously in this structure and simply cannot cope with the freedom. Energy-wise I am already ruined. The workload for a single teacher is too high and I have already begun to remove some school-driven administration from my day. I am also in conflict with a number of school systems that no longer make sense to the course design I have in play.

This year I am part of the BOMA fellowship that was set up for Christchurch teachers to develop ideas and explore things like exponential technologies. The major draw card for me is the trip to the U.S. to see schools like the K12 d.school and High Tech High and get a feel for how they operate. I am also very keen to see the teachers in action and their interactions with students. The programme has accelerated my reflection processes which, for better or worse, has me questioning my place in the current education system and whether there are other, better ways to be involved in the education of young people.

The house has moved forward again with the new deck all complete. Had some stunning builders who did amazing work and have provided a space that is now usable and pleasant. We have been getting used to taking breaks on the deck and can now eat out there and have BBQs. I also managed to sort out a robot lawnmower so I am now finally sitting on my deck watching the grass grow and then watching the robot make it short again. Not nearly enough time in the workshop and a lot of my personal projects are on hold. This year is one for looking back and forwards and deciding if I take a break from a fixed job and start doing things for myself again. I like that idea but am now finding it a bit scary to move on to my own thing. I guess twenty odd years of consistent fulltime work does that to you but it’s well worth a rethink now.