Here is a wish list-
Ideally it should be borderless
But it would have a center
Or multiple centers
Like human body
Places of contemplation and
places of action of many sorts and
maker places
Practiced by artisans and magicians of our times, whatever kids want and somethings you / us [older folk] want them to check out –
weaving our curriculum, like surfing for example – and you invite a couple of pro’s on a break.
But as for the grounds size, it would be defined by the measure of safeness – it must be safe for kids and safety maintained actively by different means.
Wandering must be allowed, wandering and wondering. Both need to be protected and safeguarded. These are sublime ways of learning, most precious!
In my childhood old cemeteries where places We wandered into
I remember them
You learn so much there
About everything
That matters
We need to reclaim many places,
Including wastelands
As a part of our grounds – the school grounds,
Safeguarded by us
As they were in the past
Safeguarded by the spirits.
But we have AI we can use.
And it should be a Green Zone
With orchards
And gardens
And a green hill
with animals
And a brook or a pond with ducks and geese
And why not chickens running around
All over the yard
And of course the courts for the athletes and just fun
And trees to climb
And cave to hide or a dark tunnel that doesn’t end, a maze you would eventually learn
And a grandma’s house where women bake and cook, and you can hang and hear their chat full of detail knowledge of their neighbors and everybody around, and what happened where.
And of course making friends, eventually
But meanwhile you can just hang on periphery smiling at them from a parallel world.
And in bad weather you hide in a classroom, sitting next to a child who will become your friend.
And you smile to each other writing puzzle words on a piece of paper under the cover that you read in a crack of the folding desk,
While the teacher is talking some math at the blackboard.
That’s what I’d like for universal design of the school grounds.
To analyze this what are the requirements?
1. we need to secure safe grounds
2. We need to establish centers
3. We need to reclaim (permit use within facility rules adjusted) large areas of green grounds where access is verified
Like
Parks, Recreation centers, Libraries,
Museums (more relaxed in rules –
kids may stray (use of Assistive Technology to safeguard and not be panicked)
Cemeteries (the dead would not mind !) neither should relatives, ‘children are a blessing’
4. It is better to have all the land contiguous but bridges can be set to connect; and centers can be reached by a school bus when needed
5. Be mobile and explore new places out.
The question is how we can practically achieve something like this
Considering where we are today.
Where do we start?
A. We need to sell it –
It is a part of self-direction.
The borderless school where
Wandering must be allowed, protected,
And promoted
As should be a quest for adventure
And a drive for perfection
As all of these are boundless
And so should be the grounds of Universal school
B. It must be all inclusive. No exceptions, no forced groupings, let the children find their way in a real yet safe world, a world of many times and cultures, the world of today.
It should include All the children, all the races, genders, and human variations, and all those we have classified as not normal.
School grounds allow all the alternative ways of teaching
But kids should decide which to choose
Parents only suggest
(We need child rights law!)
