"To educate means to lead out. And we don't lead kids out. We kind of stop them. To educate is to expose kids to many possibilities until they find a connection between what's really important to them and the world out there. and then we must nurture and cultivate that connection."

~ Mikaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" and "How Teenagers Prepare for the world of Work"


If that is true, I am leading these students into an place they've likely never been before...the world of the homeless. I am hoping vthta they will not only become more informed...I am hoping they will actually find a connection between that quiet voice inside them (that whispers that maybe, just maybe they can make a difference in their world) and the needs of the world the homeless out there.

September 22, 2003

The students and I met for the first time last week. All of us were excited to be part of this learning group and immediately showed an interest in the homeless topic.

Their first question was about whether they could spend a night on the street so they could "experience" what it is like to be homeless. They were disappointed to hear that they were too young to do this. Their question made me realize that these kids are desiring to get up close to this subject, not read read and write about it.

I wonder how I can provide an opportunity for them to experience homelessness in a safe way...

Project homepage:

http://www.masters.ab.ca/bdyck/Homeless/index.html

To do this we created an Affinity Diagram. Students met in groups of three and wrote words and phrases that came to mind when they think of home. They couldn't talk...just write the words/phrases on sticky notes. After about ten minutes the groups combined their words into categories and then posted their work on the white board at the front of the room.

It was interesting to watch the intensity in which they scrambled to list words/phrases about home...they wrote like mad. Even more interesting was the discussion that went on as they worked as a group to assign and reassign the words to categories. My white board is now covered with all things pertaining to "home".

Here is a picture of our Affinity Diagram:

http://www.masters.ab.ca/bdyck/Homeless/Home/Affinity%20Three/index.html

September 30, 2003
Today we met around the Affinity Diagram to discuss the words and phrases. I asked them to think about how the absence of these elements of home would shape a person. For example, I asked them to share a special food that brings "home" to their mind. They said:
- Tara Vista Burgers
- muffins
- Homemade Chicken Soup
- Toast
- Dumplings

I then asked them what a homeless person might answer this question. They agreed that food wouldn't pull up the same pleasant emotions that it does for us. For the homeless feelings of anxiety, effort and temporary relief might accompany the thought of food since they are always looking for it. They didn't think that any food in particular would conjure up fond memories and that the homeless would be grateful to have any food that would quieten their stomach. We agreed that "food" may have haunting memories for people who evenually get off the street.

Now they were ready to begin looking at "homeless" instead of "home". I gave each students a large piece of chart paper and instructed them to create a mindmap of "homeless" including five categories and words/phrases that a homeless person would think of in those categories. They students immediately went to work. I was surprised by the quiet that pervaded the room. No one spoke...they began work on the mindmap. After about 15 minutes they started to ask for suggestions for words to describe ______. One girl worke dextensively on emotion words that describing the feelings of a homeless person. She wanted to know if "vulnerable", "inferiority" would be good choice of words. Together we talked about what "vulnerable" meant to her. I was surprised at the level of understanding she had of that word.

The rest worked, almost like they were in another world and slowly their thinking started to take form on the chart paper. Some started with images and others began with the words. They begged for extra time so they could continue. I went and asked Miss Pumber if they could stay. Since the rest fo their class was doing silent reading, Miss Pumber agreed to let them continue work.

I talked to them about a class I had read about that spent the night in refridgerator boxes in their school parking lot so they could experience a "safe" night on the street. Their faces lit up at the thought and wondered how they too could do this. Their enthusiasm wasn't dampened in the slighest when I told them it rained that night and suggested that I might be too old for such an adventure! For the next 15 minutes they talked among themselves about what it might be like to spend the night in a refridgerator box and what they'd bring along.