The Midwest finally got respite with a stunning weekend of blue skies and warm temps. This change in seasons signals a familiar student request that shouldn't be so difficult to fulfill, or surprising that they'd request it, but still, It's one I often forget.
They just want to go outside - learn outside, read outside, sit and talk outside, play outside.
Mirroring my daily experiences, they are inside from 7:30 until 2:47pm. They're under bright lights sitting in uncomfortably creaky desks, and expected to be on just as I expect myself to be under the same conditions. How unhealthy is that. School classrooms can really suck!
I admit I don't have any resolve or plans to change this relentless indoor schooling right away. But I will solicit student input, perhaps some co-planning and building curriculum with them in order to get this learning scenery right - that much I can do in the next few weeks.
I'm hard-pressed not to transfer my personal values about nature and getting outside. The family life was good and full this weekend with a little bit of everything - Happy Hour, theater and ice cream, climbing and a run with Brad in Steinke Basin at Devils Lake, topped off with another early morning long, fast trail run with Misa. Stay active and stay healthy everyone!
I enjoyed a long run discovering new paths high on a hill between Lake Mendota and the gardens at Eagle Heights. Now I get the "heights" part. That hill is higher than it looks from the waterfront or from Shorewood -- who knew?!?! On the way back on the trail I enjoyed watching the rowing regatta in perfect conditions. Those eights are FAST! A great distraction from and motivation for the FAST 15 min. set I was laying down at the same time. On Sun. I got to ride with a group for once (Ironman training is relentlessly solo) -- a bunch of TREK people I didn't know. Interesting and fun and the 50 miles went fast. I enjoyed wild flowers in the woods and sublime rolling hills dotted with red barns on the ride. Oh yeah, and my walk warm up before starting the 90 min run was a fast cruise through the farmers market where I picked up 2 dozen jonquils/daffodils still fragrant today. All that yellow, all that scent, just 5 bucks! Wisconsin's winter-like early spring has made the actual arrival of spring a dose of pure ecstasy!
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