So, it turns out July in South Dakota is blazing hot!!! But, the 107 degree weather is hardly something to keep the STEM on the road team at home. So, Sheli, Annalies, Kat and I are once again making our way across the great state of South Dakota, having mini adventures in Chamberlain and definitely getting a view of the bridge from the aptly named Bridgeview Inn. But, of course those stories are for another time. This story is about us meeting teachers and administrators from Lower Brule and Crow Creek to design problem based learning that makes sense for their kids and their communities. The energy and conversation have been great, teams are excited to design ways to improve their community as well as how to truly explore the cultural identity that exists within these systems. From there teams have started talking about designing projects for their kids around ethnobotany and the relevance to Native American people, examining the Lakota and Dakota languages, and engaging students in creating a new playground, and so much more. And, here is my favorite part, we get to do this all summer long, and the process stays the same and we play with everyone to every idea the same, but the stories are all different, and that really is the best part. Every story is different and everyone brings their own spin. We pride ourselves on throwing out the "one size fits all" model of education, and we get to do that because we get to be part of all the collaboration and the stories! More great work tomorrow, and of course more stories!
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