School Magic: Learning Is Life

Anyone who has ever been a student or teacher, and that’s everyone, has experienced small moments of magic in school. These moments are when we know that what we’re doing is who we are. This is school magic. There is a new school where students, their families, teachers, and leaders will come together as one community to share in the growth of young people as they prepare to live rich and fulfilling lives. The future of learning is magical, and we will go there together.

I see the O’Shea family approaching the community learning hub as a family. The O’Sheas are pulled along eagerly by the oldest child in the family, Mac. Mac, a 7th grader, has gone to the center each day for weeks, hours at a time, to work on his project. He didn’t have to go each day. He didn’t have to go on most days if he didn’t want to. But his mentor was available at times to meet with him and the team he assembled each of those days. As Mac and his family enter the center, they see familiar faces of the other families and children who learn there. They all know each other because they have opportunities to meet together as often as they want. But this is a special evening. It’s a showcase evening, when any student or group gets to present their work to the center community.

And now Mac, the elected leader of his team, is speaking into a microphone as he explains what the team has been up to for the past month. You see, with the assistance of their mentor to help guide and set the plan, they built the world’s tiniest house. They created a tiny house that can serve as a home for anyone and set the world record in the process. Mac passes the microphone to a teammate, Eliza, as she explains how they 3D printed the brackets for the plumbing that fit inside the narrow walls. The team then invites the audience to approach the house, get inside, and experience it for themselves.

As the showcase evening ends and Mac and his family exit the learning center, he glances over at a tree in the yard. He knows he’s going to come to the center tomorrow because it’s one of his favorite places to be. But he’s going to take a break from building and read a book about the Wright Brothers that his mentor teacher suggested to him. Tomorrow, he will spend some time under that tree reading and relaxing as he thinks about what’s next.

I see Mac’s sister, Quinn, who, on the way home from the showcase, asks him why he cares about building houses so much. Mac looks at her a little funny because he doesn’t understand how anyone couldn’t love building tiny houses. Quinn raises her eyebrows and looks away out the car window. She thinks about tomorrow at the learning center. She thinks about how she likes to go to the center when her mom, a teacher there, also goes around 10 a.m. Her mom teaches a daily seminar, and Quinn likes to go with her. Quinn loves to learn new things, but she doesn’t always know what she wants to learn. So, she gets to meet with her mentor every day to discuss how things are going for her and what’s up in her life. She then always attends multiple seminars each day that she’s signed up for in advance. She doesn’t have to take these, but she wants to because they’re topics that caught her interest. Tomorrow she gets to go to songwriting because she loves music and loves to sing. One thing’s for sure, she won’t be building any houses. Quinn is already thinking about the original song that she will sing at the next showcase and can’t wait for her family and everyone else at the hub to hear it.

And I see Lennon in the back seat of the car. She’s only in first grade. She doesn’t love the learning center just yet because she doesn’t like to be away from her mommy. But that’s okay because she goes only three days a week. This is what her family has decided is best for her right now. On the other two days of the week, she does art, reads, and writes with her grandma at home. When she goes, she gets to meet with all of the other kids her age and work on her reading. She’s also writing a book at the center and at home. Sometimes, Lennon’s dad, who’s helping her with the book at home, gets to come to the center and meet with her and her mentor about her writing and what’s up next in the story. Lennon feels safe at the center, and her very favorite part of the day is when she gets to make lunch with her friends, and they eat together.

I see a day when Lennon and Quinn are older, and they’re writing a song together. Lennon doesn’t like to sing or perform, but Quinn loves the words that she writes for her. And Lennon loves the way that Quinn’s voice brings those words to life. Lennon can write, and Quinn can sing, and they’ve both been given the freedom to explore what they love. And I hear Quinn singing that song to the entire learning hub community. I see the three O’Shea children going to the learning hub, the place of learning magic, as they grow and learn together with other families throughout their childhoods.

There will be a learning community where families walk hand-in-hand with their children as they rise together and experience the magic of creation and building the good life together. This community, committed to defining the good life and working collectively in pursuit of that ideal, will rise together. You see, the school is the community and the community is the school, just as life is learning and learning is life. This is a place of connection that will allow all to come together as the youth are immersed in the culture of their elders, learning about purpose and pursuit. It’s time to make the magic a reality.