Quiet...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tadolo/

"Most inventors and engineers Ive met are like me theyre shy and they live in their heads. Theyre almost like artists. In fact, the very best of them are artists. And artists work best alone where they can control an inventions design without a lot of other people designing it for marketing or some other committee. I dont believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by committee. If you are that rare engineer whos an inventor and also an artist, Im going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. Youre going to best be able to design revolutionary products and features if youre working on your own. Not on a committee. Not on a team." Steve Wozniak Co-Founder of Apple
I have a confession...when I was younger I hated group work. I still do. I prefer to work alone. I prefer to stay up late working on a project after everyone else in my house has gone to sleep. I turn up my music, and let my mind relax and flow. I am actually typing this right now late at night while my house sleeps tight. I prefer to curl up with a book or movie instead of going to the movies with friends, and the last thing I want to do is to attempt to get work done in a class of 27 people shuffling, moving, and talking...especially with a teacher interrupting every 10 minutes.

Sound familiar? Next Friday Mr. Milde will be taking over all 5 classes. He will be doing a unit on the Civil War that will cover his last five weeks with us. During that time I would like to give approximately five people the opportunity to work quietly. You will have to cover the same material that the class will, but you can do it in your own unique way. You can read a historical fiction novel, spend time going through the letters of Abraham Lincoln, spend time with the diary of a Civil War soldier, or be wowed by the listening to the stories of ex-slaves. You can listen to music of the era, watch documentaries, or even examine a modern movie for its accuracy. During the five weeks I will ask for four things. One traditional piece of writing (think esyay!), one non-traditional method of sharing your learning (think play, poem, letter, video, painting, newspaper, finger puppet show, growing a potato that looks like Abraham Lincoln, etc), something revolutionary that you can share with a wider audience, and keep a daily log of what you are doing including your notes, ideas, and sources. On Mondays and Wednesdays we will meet for a quick check-in, and on Fridays for an extended chat on how its going.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbanks/

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please speak to me...quietly ; )