On Thursday of last week, we held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Roman Road Project. Sadly, this project has come to an end, but not without some reflection before I say goodbye.
In no particular order, here are a few thoughts I don't want to forget about this experience.
Being outside is a balm for souls. As our project came to an end, I asked the students to write some thoughts about the project, and so many of them mentioned how much they loved working outside on a project, even in cold weather. I have to concur. I craved being outside, and many times, it seemed as though the outdoor world was calling us. Nearly every day on the project, we were joined by a feathered friend in a nearby tree. He sang the same tune to us that I listened for every time we worked outside. I recently found out he is a Carolina Chickadee. The Romans paid close attention to the flight of birds and attached great meaning to it. I like to think that this little bird was telling us to keep going with our project and offering his special blessing to it. On the last day of our project, I got this recording of him.
Listen to kids. They have the best ideas, and they really are capable of big things. You could not have paid me to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for anything. I normally find these affairs to be performative and pretentious, but when my students said they wanted to have one, I took them seriously. My DOTD expert on the project encouraged me to plan it, and with the kids' help, we did. And OH. MY. GOODNESS. Am I glad I submitted to this idea! The event was incredibly joyful. We honored donors, got interviewed by the newspaper, celebrated our achievement, and best of all, ate cake. Here's a video of the actual cut - the clouds look so fluffy. It was a perfect day!
Find your nerds. Initially, I was reluctant to reach out to DOTD for this project for so many reasons, but mainly, because requesting significant help from a working adult is a big ask. Fortunately, I found the exact right person in Dr. Tyson Rupnow. As a civil engineer, he not only works to better the lives of others, but he's committed to passing on that passion to young students. His extensive knowledge of ancient Roman and modern roads was the perfect mix of nerdiness that was needed for this project. He spent nearly every day of the project with us, lecturing about different aspects of civil engineering, calling contacts to get supplies donated, and guiding us in the road building itself. He was so patient with all the students and just a true trooper. We could NOT have done it without him! And I already miss having him as an education partner in my classroom.
Show kids how to struggle with grace. This project tested the limits of my knowledge and patience. It was chaotic at times, physically challenging, and disappointing - I nearly cried when I found out about the bike ruts that a Mardi Gras parade goer made in the wet concrete we had just poured on the last day of our build. The students were incensed, but I tried my best to model dealing with a setback in a constructive way. In fact, a civil engineer that came to our ribbon-cutting ceremony stated that he loved the ruts because it taught students about real-life on-site issues that come up frequently in engineering and construction. We have since poured bronze-colored resin into the ruts. It's not the most beautiful fix, but it will have to do. And we are not going to let this setback ruin our overall experience.
All journeys must come to an end. When the Roman poet Catullus traveled to his brother's grave in a faraway land, he said his hello and goodbye in one short phrase: "Ave atque vale." Hello because he hadn't seen him in a long time; goodbye because he would never see him again. Even though I'll see our little road every day, my time with this project is over. I'll say my hello every morning when I get to school, but my official goodbye right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment