I stole away from the city yesterday, arriving at Boundless to find a bunch of teenagers donning make-up and dressing in drag to celebrate the end of their weekly stint at math and English. After 10 days, these kids have settled and are letting their freak flags fly.
It’s so exquisitely beautiful up here that I find it hard to conceive how the kids could possibly abide by classroom time. Out their windows, a richly coloured paradise beckons.
But they are starting to get their priorities in order. They are buying in. Those that previously attended our summer programs now understand that the Live-In School is less romantic. Forty days is a long haul. Winston Churchill’s refrain that this is “the end of the beginning” rings true. Yet the seeds of a solid community are forming. They are realizing that their knee jerk inclinations to regard themselves as the centre of the universe are being eroded. They are dropping their egocentricity like the leaves shedding from the hardwoods all about them.
They are figuring out how to live with each other, how to navigate conflicts and how to stay focussed. Growth and learning often is accelerated through overcoming obstacles. And there has been no shortage of the latter. And as they emerge triumphant, they are becoming emboldened.
Last night, as with every Thursday evening, marks a transition from compulsory credits to outdoor adventure. They are heading out on some God forsaken GPS based mission today. School is outside for the next while, and it shall surely be glorious.
When I observe the kids’ newfound swagger, I feel so utterly inspired. I am being swept away by their energy. But my favorite observances are when I see them scrubbing pots, preparing chicken on the barby, sweeping their messes, shaking hands after they have pissed each other off – it is the accumulation of these little things that suggest this session might be truly awesome.
Thanks for sending your kids here. It is such a privilege to work with them.
Steven Gottlieb
Executive Director
The Boundless School
