Learning While Raking

When our class decided to start raking lawns as part of our fundraising efforts, I never would have imagined how successful and powerful the experience was going to be. First and foremost, I want to thank all of the people that made this possible - the community members that hired us, the staff at the school that continuously stepped up to cover for those of us that were out raking, and all of the students left behind at the school that dealt with the inevitable disruptions.

As a class, we basically stepped away from our book, Walking With Wolf, during the month of November - but the learning certainly did not stop. Most people that aren't involved in manual labor generally don't realize the amount of thinking involved. Thought is what makes the difference between a job getting done, and it getting done well. I've seen it clearly in the past while watching my father-in-law run an excavator, and I was able to see it develop as some of the students started approaching the raking jobs with deliberation and strategic thought. As they started giving directions in order to more efficiently complete the task, I knew that a lesson had been learned that would have been rare to find in the classroom.



Beyond logical problem solving, all of the students grew in their own important ways. Some started taking more responsibility for their decisions - both in and outside of the school day. Others showed greater tolerance for unpleasant conditions and strenuous hours. We sometimes worked for up to 10 hours, all exhausted, but fewer and fewer complaints as time went on. All of the students demonstrated times of great fortitude and perseverance. Especially having recently read Drive, by Daniel Pink and a variety of essays by Alfie Kohn, I am confident in the importance of this kind of growth. This ability to step up and push through is incredibly valuable, and a far more powerful indicator of future success than much of what is done in the classroom. Additionally, the students are able to articulate what made the difference - them and their effort. This, in and of itself, is an incredibly important idea to hold and I would highly suggest that any educators or interested readers take a look at Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, to learn more about why. Only those that know that they have the power to change, actually do - and my students are gaining that needed power.

I am very proud of the students in this class, but more importantly, I know that they are proud of themselves. We're all getting more and more excited about our upcoming trip and know that we still have more fundraising to do. If you are interested in helping them out, please check out our website for ways to support their efforts.

Why bring students to Monteverde, Costa Rica?

When my wife and I first went to Monteverde in the summer of 2009, we only spent a couple of days there as we toured different parts of Costa Rica, but that’s all it took to fall in love with the culture and the beauty of the surroundings. When I showed the pictures and told the stories to friends, family and colleagues, I mentioned that I would like to bring students there – and they smiled and nodded politely.

I hold an adamant belief that travel can be an invaluable, life-altering experience. Families that have the means to travel often see it as a luxury, and take for granted the incredible learning that they and their children gain. I work in an alternative high school – most of my students are from families that do not have anywhere near those kinds of means. Their experiences have been, in large part, a struggle and the larger world is mostly an abstraction – including the potential wonder and hope that it can hold. Monteverde epitomizes that kind of wonder and hope – blending the culture of indigenous inhabitants with that of the American Quaker settlers that arrived in the 1950’s, and balancing a model of conservation with becoming an international eco-tourism destination. The book, Walking With Wolf, tells this story in a remarkable way. When I went back to Monteverde during my next February vacation, I bought and devoured this book – changing my fanciful desire to my bring students there, into a passionate drive to do so.

When I returned from my second visit and spoke about my intentions to share this experience with my students, I no longer received simple smiles and nods – I was met with excitement, doubts of my sanity, and lots of questions:

• What will students learn? They’ll learn everything from ecology to economics, history to agriculture, and community development to world affairs. Most of all, they’ll learn what wonders the world can hold and what role they are capable of having in that world.
• What will the class look like? It is a yearlong, interdisciplinary class that will include a significant amount of experiential education. We'll spend the fall reading Walking With Wolf and blogging about the learning adventures it sparks – I hope you keep checking back and follow the student blogs (links are on the right sidebar). In the spring, students will pick an area of personal interest and create an individual research project that compares some aspect of our home to that of Monteverde. Mid-spring, we’ll go to Monteverde for 10 days and students will determine the itinerary to meet the needs of their projects. When we get back, they'll be producing a culminating product to represent their learning. If all this sounds vague, that's because I'm not arbitrarily dictating the outcome - this is student-centered and student-driven.
  
• Am I crazy? Well, certainly not because of this. It is a challenge to do international travel with any group of students and plenty of people wouldn't dare do it with students that have struggled - but aren't those the very students that we should be doing this kind of inspiring thing with?! The students that I have in this class have made a commitment to working hard and they deserve a chance to prove themselves. They are turning their lives around and if I can be a part of that then I'll do whatever it takes - crazy or not.
• How will we pay for it? Hopefully, with your help. The students have already been working hard (even during the summer before the class started) and we’ll be including future fundraising information here, but we’d also really appreciate a check for any amount you can offer – we have to raise $15,000 by January. Checks can be made out to “Lister Academy – Costa Rica Class”, and mailed to: Robert J. Lister Academy, Attn: Bryan Mascio, 35 Sherburne Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

Stratham Fair

The students were fantastic at the Stratham Fair! From Thursday July 22nd through Sunday the 25th, our class had a fundraising booth at the Stratham Fair. Our booth sold jewelry, including design-your-own-earrings, and raffle tickets for 3 different raffles. It was a great success and all of the students went above and beyond - Josh and his mom made jewelry ahead of time; Dylan came the day before and helped set up; Mariah, Winston, Brittney and Kristine all learned how to make the earrings for people at the fair.

In addition to the students, we relied heavily on staff and friends of the school. First, there were parents - Josh's mom, Lee, put in almost as many hours as the kids; Kristine's mom, Deanna, made fantastic throw pillows that we sold; Dylan's foster mom, Deb handmade earrings for us. The staff also really came through - Ellen and her daughter Kate, Gina, Jess, Jody and Christine were indispensable. It was a pleasure to see Nancy and Erika at the fair, and Erika is helping to coordinate the lobster raffle. A big thanks to the friends and family that came by to purchase raffle tickets and support our efforts. I also can't give enough thanks to my wife, Carmela, who put in countless hours beforehand helping me plan, plus worked the vast majority of the fair.

This is one more step towards our fundraising goal.

Car Wash

We had a car wash last Saturday from 8-1 at the Middle Street Shell Station in Portsmouth. Many thanks to all those that came and supported our class. The students who attended - Winston, Dylan, Josh and Kristine - all did a fantastic job, as did Nancy and Carmela. Thanks to all for a big success.