Building a Sign

I spent my Wednesday working with Dan Evers from the Rainforest Art Project, an orginization that is a nature and history-based, educational, healing arts program that inspires children and their families by building a sense of pride and ownership through the creation of permanent ceramic and mosaic art. We have begun to work together to build an entry sign for the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, with the students from Seeley Unified School District. This is of particular excitement for myself, as I am from Seeley, and my daughter attends the school. This makes this project etremely personal, as the kids I am working with are not simply kids I met on this project, but they are my neighbors, my daughter's friends, and a part of my personal community. 

My daughter helping us with the sign! 

The sign is going to be gorgeous. There are brilliantly colored glass peices that are being placed in a mosaic that will reflect the beautiful natural landscape that surrounds the museum. It will feature native plants, like to ocotillo, and animals, including a roadrunner and a scorpion. While teaching students about the process of making a glass mosaic, I hope to teach them a little bit about their home as well. This will be a fantastic project to be able to work with these students to show them how art, science, and history are not isolated subjects, but are deeply entertwined with each other. 

Dan Evers working with students!

Engaging Youth At Their Level

SO CUTE!

Last night the museum held an event featuring David LamFrom, who was the editor of "Tortoise Through the Lens". While I LOVE tortoises (because I really, really do. They are so cute!), I was really struck by the program that led him to creating this book. He took 13 high school students, from around the California Desert, and taught them animal photography, and helped them author this book.  His presentation stuck me very deeply, since his message is one that I strive to do myself. If we are going to connect our children to the desert, we have to do so on THEIR level, not ours. 

Myself, Edgar, Robin, David, and Robert

So what does that even mean? It means that as educators and museum professionals, we need to stop assuming that youth are interested in what we want to teach them because we think it is important. We need to start asking ourselves, "Why would these young people think these things are important?" and try to to tap into their interests, to teach them. The attitude that "Well, these kids aren't interested in what I have to say so it is hopeless to teach them," is not effective. We need to stop talking at our youth audiences, and start talking with them. If they love Minecraft or Pokemon, then start to integrate that into your lessons. Let students see the bridges between what they love, and what you love, and before you know it, you have taught them what you wanted them to know, and they will be far more passionate about it. 

It has been my greatest honor and joy to teach the children of my community to love our home. I didn't have that a child, and so I want to make sure they have their chance. It is my passion, and one of my major life goals.