The power of imagination

I'm reading Ken Robinson's excellent book "The Element" at the moment and I came across this statement this morning which seemed to relate to our recent discussions about sharing transatlantic perceptions:

"We don't just see the world as it is; we interpret it through the particular ideas and beliefs that have shaped our own cultures and our personal outlook. All of these stand between us and our raw experiences on the world, acting as a filter on what we perceive and how we think."

I'm really excited by the idea of exchanging beliefs, either in the form of podcasts or even skype enabled webcasts. Let me know how far you've got with your planning so we can shape something together.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Harmony Middle School

Monday morning I went to visit Ronda Hassig, a school librarian at Harmony Middle School. I met Ronda last year at Shane Evans Studio in Kansas City, MO. She was there showcasing the artwork & poetry her 7th grade english students created during the on site residency of poet Bonnie Lynn Tolson.

The project was based around 'homelessness' and the importance of understanding--being empathetic to plights of others. Bonnie worked with Ronda's students and the end result was poetry depicting the students' understanding of what it means to be homeless.

Harmony With Voice was published as the end result. 77 pages of student poetry... and the creativity doesn't stop there...

The students have been paired with art students, who have or will create empty bowls that reflect the sentiment or "golden line" from each specific poem. These bowls will be auctioned off in two weeks at a silent auction. All proceeds will go to TruLight, a homeless shelter in Kansas City, MO.

I hung out in Ronda's library for two hours and alongside picking up all this great creative information, I was able observe Ronda interacting with her students.... and I must say I left her library smilin' and inspired.