Editors update: In the wake of the tragic revelations of Des Moines (now former) Superintendent of schools, I fight the urge to be consumed by grief and no small amount of anger. As always, I tune out the political noise and focus on the fact that there are still thousands of students who need and deserve a fine education. As the adults will blame, rage and pontificate about the “woulda, shoulda, coulda” aspects of this situation, the political pawns (also known as students) look to teachers for a steady hand to steer them through these crazy times.
I don’t think we fully appreciate what happens when we diminish the opportunities for the young to be mentored or learn more deeply about the world they’re about to be working in. We underestimate the good that comes when youth have the opportunity to participate in focused effort around a subject or story they feel deeply passionate about.
From my earliest experiences as a 14-year old YMCA camper to my nearly 50 years of workshopping with middle- and high school students I’ve always had great appreciation for how great teaching and mentoring can affect the learning process for a lifetime.
Creating curriculum for, and teaching Summer programs in the Arts and Media Technology has been an important part of my work since the 1980’s. Interdisciplinary, project-based learning modules have, for me, proven to be critical in nurturing and maintaining young people’s passion for learning and exploration.
(Now Dartanyan, those words sound good but what does Interdisciplinary, project-based learning really mean in the classroom? )
What follows are images and music documented in the years 2009 through 2014. At that time, I returned to Iowa to offer summer music experiences to students primarily on the North and East side of Des Moines.
Thanks to the vision of former principals Vincent Lewis, Matthew Smith and advisor Kittie Weston-Knauer I was given access to the band rooms at North High, Central Academy and East High. It was there I met with kids who, like me 50 years earlier, were loaded with ambition but limited opportunities to do much about it.
It was loud, chaotic…and fun as heck. Kids who were all new to each other formed performance ensembles to jam and to learn. I was only the “guide on the side” as they, for the most part were are already full of ideas. They just needed a place to come together and try stuff out without being told to ‘turn it down.’
Guided by professionals like Maxx G (Top Center) and my son Jaimeo (third row Right panel) these kids were hungry to learn and boy did they make “joyful noise.”
Project-based interdisciplinary summer learning experiences have always been a cornerstone of the educational process. Learning by doing. There is no better way to learn stuff. Especially when you have guidance and mentoring from those who care enough to pass experience and wisdom from one generation to the next.
These young people were able to spend those years playing instruments, creating new songs and even exploring the science of sound. After learning about local, indigenous connections to the Blues they decided to create some of their own music as well. A generation learning to believe in their own stories.
(Upper row, left North High students after school Jam class) The rest are Harding Middle school students.
Two East Des Moines cousins teamed up to create this composition <==Link to Music
Watching a “bored” student light up when you put a musical instrument in his or her hands is always an indication of a potential light inside them waiting to be turned on.
(and yes, that’s my salmon-colored Stratocaster guitar they’re holding. Gotta take a risk and trust ‘em sometimes.)
=============How One Song Became A Kind Of Reality Check ===================
So yes, here we are again, DMPS brought to its knees by adults who, for whatever reason, failed in their efforts to provide consistency and rigor in service to our students education. That is why I returned to Iowa, beginning in 2009, to at least try to offer some of that consistency and rigor to Des Moines Public School students who no one else was serving.
When the dust settles, the task remains. There are still thousands of kids here in Des Moines who want, need and deserve a great multi-disciplinary education. Listening to WHO radio hosts feasting on the carcass of DMPS’ troubles, it’s more apparent then ever that those of us who work directly with students will have to hunker down, ignore the noxious noise and stay focused on the only valid objective in this situation: supporting students caught in the blast zone created by the dishonesty of one man and the scheming and slovenly oversight of the adults who should have been their protectors.
As the tagline of a student-composed song goes: “We’re Trying So Hard.”
Can we somehow begin to try and make them more than collateral damage?
Love, compassion, perseverance, and fortitude. THAT never ends.
It was my impression that Mr. Roberts convinced this school board to remove the band and orchestra teachers from elementary schools and move them to the middle school. When he was questioned as to why music, he said they could do sports. Let us hope that the instrumental music teachers that Tom Ahart worked hard to provide instruments, return quickly to those schools. Not every kid can play sports in a manner it is rewarding, but to see a student able to make a clarinet not squeak when they blow on it, is simply heavenly.