His legs flailed, his eyes got big, "Ohhhh!!!" He dangled, two inches above the ground, holding on to the edge of a rock on the Caron Park waterfall, his big toe in danger of getting damp. His grin made it plain, he was taking a page out of the Buster Keaton playbook. The rest of collapsed into giggles — and not for the first time. We were laughing together, the value of which cannot be overstated.
To learn means to take a risk. To learn at Prairie Creek means that the risk is often taken with others as you're wrestling with a new idea in a group or sharing a thought with the class. If students are afraid of being laughed at, the learning in the classroom is stunted. Creating an atmosphere of trust is crucial to our learning success.
The day at Caron Park was designed to provide many opportunities to laugh and come together. In a variety of structured activities like group challenge games and "unstructured" moments like the one that happened for my group while exploring the waterfall, we
laughed a lot. We were creating common memories and a common story. That common experience is the foundation for trust.
It takes a while to create community and it takes conscientious effort. We're well on our way in the Big Birds. Thank you for joining us for a meal at the end of our day. We're hoping there will be many more opportunities for us to come together with your families this year to laugh and create new stories. MM
The Rookery 