Big words

 

Paula Estes has a tradition of surprising her students at the annual Living School holiday potluck with gifts they’ve designed themselves without knowing it. This year was no exception.

Last week she invited the kids to write a few sentences on what they like about their school, leading them to believe it was for some other purpose. Then she stealthily loaded their responses into the “word cloud” generator at Wordle (where words that appear more frequently in the source text are given more prominence), and voilà! The new school t-shirt design was born. The shirts were a hit at the holiday party, and families report that they were inspired to try some interesting things with Wordle at home.

I am struck by the amount of love in this cloud (and this school community). Which words would rise to prominence in a word cloud about your school?

Lots of opportunities this week!

This week is brimming with public events at local alternative schools. Each is a great chance to check out the school’s facilities, learn about its programs, and meet staff, students, and parents.

• The Austin EcoSchool will open its doors on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for a Barefoot Books fair, with sales benefitting the school.
• On Tuesday evening you can attend an information session at Clearview Sudbury School and get answers to all your questions about the Sudbury model of education.
• Also taking place at Clearview this week is the school’s first movie night. Everyone is welcome to join the local Sudbury folks on Thursday evening for a showing and discussion of Voices from the New American Schoolhouse, a documentary about the well-established Fairhaven Sudbury School in Maryland.
• Friday is the Inside Outside School’s Expo Day, where kids will present the projects they’ve worked on all semester. You can also buy cool stuff handmade by the Apothecary Class.
• Later on Friday, head to the Whole Life Learning Center’s open house to learn about its unique programs, including “Freedom Fridays,” which feature enrichment classes that are open to the homeschooling community.

For more details, go to the Alt Ed Austin Calendar, where you can click on any event to find the time, location, and other specifics. If you can’t make it to these special happenings, no worries: contact any of the schools listed in the Directory to arrange a visit of your own.

Welcome.

I’m glad you’ve found Alt Ed Austin’s blog, where I’ll be writing about alternative education, Austin schools, and a small constellation of related topics. I hope you’ll stop by frequently and join the conversation.

Here’s a preview of what’s in store:

• Interviews with innovative educators
• Profiles of individual schools
• News, announcements, and wish lists from local alternative schools
• Essays on education theory, practice, and policy
• Guest posts from students, teachers, parents, and other experts
• My own observations and musings about learning and schooling
• Opportunities for civil discussion in a community of people who care deeply about education and our children’s future

What else would you like to see here? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.