Freeconomy Blog
Thu
28 Feb
Radical education, inner thoughts and ways to help...
| 5 comments |
The last two days have both inspired and grounded me. To start with, nothing could be better than spending your day around kids and that beautiful genuine energy they have in abundance. There were kids running around us all day, still with loads of questions, all wanting high fives and shouting 'peace to the middle east', a phrase they coined themselves...wish I had thought of that one.
The school itself is fantastic, though the headmaster thinks they are still at the beginning of a new paradigm in education. Already with a growing organic garden, 'chill-out' rooms, an arts centre that the children can go to and get as messy as they like and positive messages covering every part of available wall space, you'd think they were already quite radical.
But they aren't resting on their laurels. They just had a meeting this week in which they set the ball rolling on a plan to have the children come up with the basis of their own curriculum. They also (in line with government regulations) plan on getting rid of the SATS exams and so taking the pressure of exams off our youngest children and allowing them to explore what they are interested in and to learn what makes their eyes light up, instead of making them study things they will forget a few weeks later. And the list goes on and on. The best news I've heard since organic homemade bread was also that this is something the government are actually promoting, primarily because OFSTED have reported how happy and educated children are in these types of schools, but also because the arts are apparently going to be the third biggest industry in the UK in ten years time. So lets applaud the government for the positive things it does, there are great people working behind the scenes there too and they often get little thanks.
But the thing that blew us away the most was the reaction to us from the teachers and the other workers in the school. All of them - the headmaster, the caretakers, the office staff - looked after us like they had known us forever, and I've met people here that I know will be lifelong friends.
We spent yesterday talking to the kids and working in the organic garden. Today we turned our hands to art, something I have always been terrible at! But everyone is an artist, however bad they think they are, and betwen Eric, myself and the kids, we came up with some great stuff, including a flag for Eric's bag saying "We help for FREE". Tomorrow we are back in the gardens before heading up the coast to hastings in the evening to surprise a freeconomist (who we understand is having a hard time). The guys today give us a bag of food for the road so we thought what better way to spend an evening than to go and knock on his door, rustle him up some dinner from the food we got and chill him out with a good massage and a listening ear.
So what has been going through my head lately? I've been a bit disappointed with myself in that I fail to live by my own standards all of the time. I know certain laws to be true (like the law of unconditional giving) but still I sometimes doubt my faith that in doing so my needs will be provided for. This is work in constant progress though.
What else? I have also been meeting many amazing people along the way, which is great and I couldn't be happier about it. The only problem is that I am now a wanderer, and as soon as I meet and get to know these great souls I have to move on and leave them. Some of them become really close to my heart and it pains me to have to go.
On top of that I feel my life is played out in public, though on a relatively small scale. I also feel there are no days off anymore and there is nowhere to go and hide from the world. But I chose this path and that is a small price to pay for putting smiles on peoples faces.
I don't mean to complain, I just want to convey to you guys as much of the reality of what it feels like to undertake something like this.
Finally, can you all do me one HUGE favour (not that you owe me one!) and do just one of the following:
1. Knock on your nearest neighbours door and ask them if they ever need any help to come and see you.
2. Tell someone who you may have hurt in the last year you are sorry, regardless of who was 'right' or 'wrong'.
3. Do something kind for a complete stranger.
4. Tell someone special how you feel about them.
To inspire everyone else who reads this, tell us what you plan to do first (by adding a comment) and then report back and tell us how it went. That would make our day!
Comment on this Post:
Mike comments ...
Well, When Tilli put you in the middle of Europe, I thought "Maybe, this is a little light hearted relief, god knows they need it.". Now i can see that you are giving out the blog password to the first wino that stumbles across your path, im getting worried. WTF is happening. Come on Mark, to quote Alex "i thank you both and i respect you shamas for respectinting my toughts as i sit here sippinig a beer i hold my tin high to you both thanks for all you have done iam all loved up hope the crack stayes fine "
Are you two dropping mushrooms or something? This is going a bit far, I suggest you high tail it back home and hope that annonymity swallows you up before the press get wind of this amazing u-turn on what should have been a noble ideal.
Nuff Said.
Saoirse comments ...
(To mike - above)
I don’t ever leave messages here but thought I best respond to your misunderstanding - we are not in Europe, someone has simply misplaced a marker and I will get our web developer to replace it.
Also, anyone can write messages in the section where the map is, that is not our blog (you are reading our blog!). It is for people who have simply met us along the way and no password is needed. Both of us are just about to go to sleep after a long day working in a school!
So no, we are not in Europe, definitely not ’dropping mushrooms’ and definitely have not had a u-turn! Your remarks did make me smile though so thanks!
Kieron comments ...
What’s up Saorise,
Well, I decided to combine your 1st and 3rd points.
It’s been snowing all afternoon here in Minnesota and just stopped (8:30pm) so after sinking 3 beers and watching it fall it was time to go out and shovel the sh1t off the driveway and path.
While doing that I saw a neighbour doing the same, he moved in a month ago and I’ve not had time to go and introduce myself so I got that taken care of an let him know that he could ask for my help with anything in the future. He offered the same in return, not sure if he was serious or not but I’ll take him at his word one day and see if it happens, hope he does the same of me.
Anyway, he was almost done with his driveway too so didn’t need any help at the time, but his neighbour and the woman accross the street from me hadn’t gotten to her drive yet, she often doesn’t as she is quite old and lives with her brother who is seriously ill and probably will not get better.
Another good soul down the street often takes care of her drive and path but he hadn’t got to it yet so I thought what the heck, Saorise told us to help a complete stranger, she’s not a complete stranger but we’ve hardly spoken (her choice, I’ve tried). Once that was taken care of I didn’t want her to think it had been a charity case so I got to shovel the pavement for the next 3 houses too.
It worked out pretty well cause I was sweating when I was done. I didn’t go to the gym tonight as planned cause I didn’t want to have to fight the traffic in the snow but I got my work out anyway.
As for option 4, there are a lot of people who are special to me and in a variety of different ways, but you are one of them and I love you in your own baldy hippy platonic way. Your new direction isn’t a U-turn, it’s a detour. You’ll get where you’re going and it may not be where you thought. Think hard about your choices but do what feels right.
Keep it up man.
nadia comments ...
I commit to talking to my neighbour and telling him if he ever needs anything he can come to me-I’ll leave my card so he can call me if he can’t get out-he’s quite elderly.
I will contact someone who I haven’t heard from for a while to apologise for something I said recently which I think he may have found painful.
I will send a card to my neice and nephew telling them how special they are.
They are 6 and 4 !
I’ll let you know the result!
N :)
