Tonight after dinner I came across a Google+ post about the Standford FabLearn Fellows Program. I was not aware of this program nor the information on their conferences, but as I dug deeper I found that their ideas seemed to be inline with most of what I am teaching in the Digital Craft Research Lab. For the longest time I've been trying to figure out where I belong in the debates between Art, Design, Craft, Engineering, etc.
I applied for the Stanford FabLearn Fellows Program and I hope that I am selected to participate. I had a great time filling out the application as it gave me a chance to reflect upon what it is I'm doing here and the reasons for doing it. I came to the realization that it's not about Art, Design, or Engineering specifically... it's about EDUCATION of our young people. Plain and simple. And all of a sudden I'm back at my roots as an undergraduate in Art Education. It's not about growing, or initiatives, recognition, headlines, talking points, making the people above you look good. It's about TEACHING. You know the thing I love to do.
Anyway, after I applied to the program, I found this video from the professor who had posted the info about the Fellows program on Google+. I really like what he says here and it starts to make me wonder about my own kids education and why I didn't seem to become truly engaged in school until I was in college. It kind of makes me sad and helps me to understand the motivations of the system and the some of the people I work with.
Regardless, I think this Fellows program might help guide me in the coming year as I navigate the current system.
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