Week 3 Comments 2 Joan Lournenco - Lighting A Spark

Lighting a Spark. It’s about the kids. 

I wasn’t sure which chapter I would write about but Chapter 9 spoke to me and helped relive a few experiences I had when trying to light a spark. While my experiences are not as grand as Zander’s account of Arthur Andersen’s support and the Philharmonic impact, this story helped me realize that it is important to light the spark and pay-forward from my universe of possibility to our students. 

Two years ago, budget decisions and union seniority policies led me to my present school. I was at a wealthier, more prestigious school and was used to arranging an author visit each year to help connect students and reading.  My new school did not have this practice, nor did they have an auditorium for such events. Prior to my transfer, I had arranged for an award-winning young adult author to visit our school, but now that the transfer had taken place, I asked my new principal if we could piggy back off the author visitation and she agreed, knowing this would tap into the school’s small budget.  I received a few community donations and so the planning began.  My principal was excited the kids at this lower socio-economic school would have this opportunity. Here is where Zander’s story triggered my memory. Not having a facility at our school to handle a large group presentation, she arranged for bus transportation for our students to the near-by State Park (Rainbow Springs State Park) and set up a flawless schedule for the busses to pick-up and return the students to the school and take the next group. I was amazed at her enrollment, leadership and commitment to the students. Zander’s description helped me see how, “Enrollment is that life force at work, lighting sparks from person to person, scattering light in all directions.”  I am grateful to have my principal’s support to help scatter the light to our staff and students.

Last fall, I wrote a grant that included an in-house poetry slam for our students (another first) and allowed for a musician and nationally renown slammer, Iyeoka Okoawo, to visit our students and perform for them. In this way, they would know what a slam was like.  Again, not having a facility conducive to entertaining, we used the gymnasium. The experience Zander describes in Chapter Nine of the performance in the gym at Eastlea was similar to ours. Some teachers were disciplining and carried the low expectation level described by Zander, while others were delighted to have this opportunity for the students. When it was over, an overwhelming amount of students awaited Iyeoka’s autograph and a minute of conversation.  Was the gym ideal? Absolutely not. Was the experience memorable? Definitely. Her visit was a thumbs up experience. 

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It's great!  I remember the first time I got an artist grant from the state of Florida.  I called all the elementary Principals in the area and told them I was applying for it and if I got it, we would have to pay 1/3 of the cost of the artist, which was $250.  All said they wanted her, except one school who wanted her for 2 days, so I wrote the grant for the flutist, Donna Wissinger (AWeSOME!) to come to our county for 9 days.  It was great, as none of the teachers knew what to expect and only saw it as a bother, until they took them to the program, and then, they couldn't stop talking about the program she put on and how amazing it was.  The kids were mostly spellbound.  (A few acted up, but not bad!)

So, I understand how great it is when something goes so well, and the kids learn so much from something very different.  Donna came back to my school this past year, this time, with a grant written by the local college and she was just a great for these kids.  The only difference is they saw her during wheel ( music, science lab, PE, ethics class, library) and the teachers were on their planning and most didn't come in to see her so the kids got alot, but the teachers didn't do any follow up since they didn't see what the kids learned.  

    So, we just keep working and always remember the kids are who we do it for!  thanks for all you do.