Barca Varada: Where the Adventure in Lifelong Learning Begins..

 

As I embark on the planning of my summer 2023 fellowship to Puerto Rico, I am reminded of this silk screen work by Samuel Lind.  When I met him in his home/studio in Luzio last summer, he talked to me about his inspiration for this painting.  

Barca means “boat” and Varada means “stuck.”  Sam told me that he believes the tied up boats are all dreaming of a place they would like to be. It reminds me the tug of war I feel between the science part of me and the teacher.  

My role as a science teacher is not defined by the walls of the classroom. It is inspired by my love with life long learning in science and the personalities and talents of the students in my classroom.

As a teacher, I am always finding new ways to help students engage with not only content but the people who are actively researching new ideas. The goal is to make the classroom a moving piece of art that constantly grabs the talents of the individuals in it. Our work should never be finished, only ready for the next group to take to the next level.

I envision myself as the Barca in his work, dreaming of all the unique science experiences that I can bring to my students to help them learn to love the ups and downs of science for a lifetime. The pandemic teaching cycle temporarily set my boat on the shore for a little bit but my curiosity has fueled me to continue the journey at sea. Many of my students consider themselves "stuck" as well, not believing they are science students or knowing how their passions or hobbies fit into this class. They just need the tide to come in to get them out to sea :).



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