Ending February

We came back from mid-winter break to end February with visitors, trips, and lots to reflect on.

Monday we played Werewolves and Town of Salem (a similar game, played online). Or rather, I made some jewelry with wire and pliers while playing Werewolves and spectating T.O.S.

Tuesday @ryanshollenberger @themadhatter @failspy @thewitchqueen908 @douglasawesome and I went to The Uncommons. Last time Cloudhouse visited, I gave Javair and Milo a notecard with an address written on it and said I would meet them there at a set time. It led them to an amazing cafe with a wall of board games and a $5-to-play-as-much-as-you-want policy. They demanded to return for a whole day field trip next time Milo visited, and so Tuesday we did just that. Picking a game was difficult, but we eventually started with The Resistance. Followed by Munchkin Stars, Jenga, and Tsuro. We got back to school just in time for the end of the day. (Though Bear, Milo, Javair, and I met up again later for a comedy show.)

Wednesday we had screenings scheduled in the red room (where the projector lives) all day. Looney Toons, Derren Brown, Les Miserables…none of it happened. I can’t say I was too disappointed by this. @failspy did put on Les Mis for a little bit, and I was content to listen to the music. Part of the reason the screenings didn’t happen was that the first Games Workshop meeting (with @douglasawesome @shadowjack and @ryanshollenberger) inspired a collaborative effort to create a custom deck of Werewolves cards with our own extra characters and images (which @theskycookie found).

Wednesday night, I got to sit on a panel and answer questions about Agile Learning Centers. It was after a film screening of Approaching the Elephant, which is a documentary about the first year of a free school in New Jersey. The audience was small, but I met a few people who came up after and mentioned that they were excited to learn more about us. Also…I get really really nervous speaking in front of people. So I take every opportunity to do it, as a personal challenge, and then I do a happy dance when I get home after every successful attempt.

Thursday! Another field trip! @failspy @agilealfie and @lillaw came with me to Brooklyn, to visit a friend of mine who draws comics. He started a business (myherocomics.com) drawing custom comics for people, and he also teaches comic-making classes around the city. He showed us samples of his work, including drafts so we could see how a project develops. Then he did a drawing workshop with us where he showed us how to turn letters into people (stick figure level up!), how to draw hair, how to tell a difference between close-up/medium/wide shot panels of a comic strip, and how to turn squiggle drawing into a game (Quick! Draw four touching lines! Now, quick! Turn it into a person!). I was super grateful that he shared his time and space with us, and we collabora-doodled a sweet thank you card for him.

Thursday I was also a little sad, because I had to sit out of Acrobalance to rest my knee 😦 Yoni won’t be in for the next three weeks, because he’s travelling, so I really really wanted to be there. Fortunately, Ryan said that he, @thewitchqueen908 @douglasawesome and @failspy will run class in the weeks Yoni is away so that we stay in shape.

Today, I did a lot of reflecting. About blogging and spawn points, about facilitating and facilitators and facilitating facilitators, about art and play and documentation. Also about community, support networks, human growth, personal growth, nature. About hard conversations and certainty and uncertainty and forms of love and mortality and wonder and purpose and and and…It was better [def. more challenging and hopefully fruitful] than New Years 🙂

Super grateful for the week, and all it brought.