LA MANCHA WORKSHOP - MAY 2005

Seeing and Believing

The theme of this most recent La Mancha LifeStep was “Seeing and Believing” which was designed to challenge our students, (among many other things) to see with new eyes, and to become passionate observers with all of their senses.

Educational theorist and activist Maxine Greene encourages teachers to guide their students toward “awakenings” in the awareness of concepts such as justice, freedom, compassion etc. by means of specific, local and hands-on experiences.  And so, on a remote hillside overlooking the rural orphanage near Villae Populi, our students were encouraged to think of one abstract concept; service, and to make it specific through their actions and observations.  For the rest of the day, while we played with the children and youth of the orphanage, and while we worked to hand-build a concrete bridge (which past groups from MBA had been working on before us, piece by piece, one season at a time,) our students found images of service in every moment.

There was one particular moment for me which stands out.  When we all completed pouring our concrete pillars in the late afternoon, a group of visiting Carmelite nuns began to walk across the solid part of our bridge, in a single file line.  They seemed to float across in their flowing white garments resembling that of Mother Theresa.  The last one in line lingered by me, and with both of her thin, aged ebony hands cupped my face and looked me in the eyes, smiling.  She didn’t say a word, but I heard distinctly a woman’s voice in my head “Good Teacher” it said, and she walked away.  The meaning of the words didn’t register concretely, as if she were saying I were a ‘good educator’. 

The words felt more like, well, as if she were seeing someone else, a rabbi, or someone divine, and I remembered how Mother Theresa had compassion on her people, the ones with the most wretched wounds and rotting stench, swarming with flies, and how she saw the face of the one she served on each of them. 

And on that humble bridge, which crossed an even humbler stream, the ground and everything upon it felt like it had been made sacred.

Humble awakenings like these, when encountered first-hand, can help us to see with new eyes, and believe that our mere existence is somehow a miraculous, moment by moment event.  Our students are currently in the process of crafting poems which have reflected their own experience in Romania.  We plan to showcase them in a special way on the night of the Rose Ceremony.  We hope you can join us and share in this experience.

Sincerely,

Jim Churchill-Dicks

Teacher, Mount Bachelor Academy

ASHLAND SHAKESPEARE CLASSROOM

 Going on the Shakespeare Classroom trip to the Oregon Shakespeare
 Festival from April 21-24 was exciting.  When I learned I was approved to
 go I was thrilled.  I absolutely love seeing plays and I knew it would be
 such a blast with all of my friends.
 We left on a Thursday to set out on our excursion to Ashland, Oregon.
 Even the trip there was fun.  We ate a bunch of food and sang our hearts  out.
 Kelly, Emma, Annie, Meghan, Olivia, Michelle, Leigh Anne, Kendall, Josh,
 Tyler, Alex, Luke, David, and I all went on the trip. The staff included
 Glenn, Kori, and Lisa.  They were super fun and made the most out of the
 experience for us.
 As soon as we arrived we dropped our bags in our hotel rooms and were off
 to see the first play.  Before three of the plays we went to a prologue
 that informs you on what the play is going to be about.  They really
 helped me to understand what was going on.
 The first play we saw was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson.  It
 was so funny. I loved all the singing and dancing.  Not all the plays were
 Shakespeare, but I enjoyed watching other playwrights.  Every night we
 dressed up and ate excellent food.
 The next day we had a jam-packed schedule.  Bright and early we went to a
 combat class taught by James Newcomb, the star of King Richard III.  We
 learned how they fight in plays.  Then we saw two comedies, The Philander
 and Room Service, both of which were really funny.
 The next day we took a backstage tour and saw what really goes on behind
 the scenes.  I had no idea how important those people that you never see
 really are.  There is so much technical stuff and just having all the
 actors where they are supposed to be at the right time.  Wow!
 The last two plays were Richard III and Napoli Millionaria!  Watching and
 learning about all of these plays was amazing.  My favorite play was the
 last one, Napoli Millionaria!, which was very intense.  It combined humor
 with tragedy.
 I loved it so much because I had front row seats and I felt a part of it
 in so many ways.  I felt that I connected with the youngest daughter and
 the relationship she had with her father.  Her name was Maria Rosaria,
 played by Heather Robison.  I felt her performance was the best because
 she was the most believable.  Even her emotions seemed real.
 All the plays were done tremendously well.  I did have some difficulties
 following Richard III because it was in old English and all.  Overall, the
 plays the classes, tours, meals, and the trip there and back was awesome.
 I don’t think it could have been better.  I absolutely loved hanging out
 with my close friends and having a simple, but packed weekend away from MBA.
 

Autumn Parks
 Phase III student
 

Coming soon : Peer Group  37/38 is graduating!!!

FOR MORE PICTURES FROM THE SPRING 2005 EVENTS CLICK HERE.