Dear Reader,

Today in The Studio, Matt wrote: On a deep level, we recognize - we treasure - that we live in dependence. And yet, in our work, this almost comes across as pejorative. I've often seen schools highlighting their success in raising independent children. Can you imagine a school advertising its achievement in supporting children to celebrate their dependence?

In conversation on another post, Miriam Beloglovsky invited a shift: Perhaps the question is not, "How do we help children become independent?" but rather, "What kinds of environments help children discover that learning is something we build when we are in-dependence with each other?"

Can you imagine what school would be like if we were serious about this latter wondering? Can you imagine the perspective of the citizens that would grow?

Here are two Instagram reels worth watching today:

​Rebecca Solnit talks about categories: "Categories are where thoughts go to die." In our effort to make sense of this complex world, we sort things into categories. Fine. But immersed in a culture that prioritizes efficiency and competition (and winning), categories come with the perception of certainty we crave. Things that "depend" on other things threaten that certainty. Have you ever responded to the question of a parent or administrator with an honest and true assertion that "it depends" and received a look of impatience or even hostility? I sure have - though in my case, I have to say, I am more likely to get that look from someone who is asking me "how" to do something related to my classroom practice. Making decisions guided by pedagogy of listening and relationships really does depend on the unique specificities of any given people, time, and place. It requires thinking that is very much alive. Trying to find a way to that aliveness is what I love most about the coaching and professional development we do now.

​Robin Wall Kimmerer declares our interdependence: "All flourishing is mutual."

In our Studio Meet Up this week, members joined us in cracking open these words: dependence, independence, interdependence, depend. And as I always am when we dive into such a playful exploration, I was surprised and delighted about what we found. In this country where we have a federal holiday to celebrate independence, there is a cultural expectation to glorify the idea and not just the historical facts of its significance. Our conversation led us to connect to the work of Timothy Snyder which we read earlier this year together. The forms of freedom he names as sovereignty and solidarity might be more precise words for what we mean when we talk about independence and dependence - and might offer more clarity when we consider our work with groups of children. I look forward to diving more into these ideas and questions throughout our summer.

Now in The Studio In.Dependence How does exploring the relationships that sustain us encourage deeper journeys? Join us for camp!

The Language of Gel Printing​ ​ ​ In July and August we'll explore the affordances of gel plate printing - so easy, so forgiving, so satisfying, so open-ended - the perfect process art experience for adults! With these prints, because it is camp, after all, we'll create a project to keep and use into the future.

WATCHING, LISTENING, READING

Good things:

The entire podcast interview with Rebecca Solnit is very much worth listening to. Why Cynicism Feels Smart and Isn't​

Summertime is a great time to read Robin Wall Kimmerer if you haven't yet! Share Braiding Sweetgrass for Young People with someone you love.

The Education for Democracy Exchange Leadership Initiative held a meeting and shared it with us: Here is the recording of the meeting. Use password: ELI2026.

Next week we hope you'll join Engaging Exchange: Early Care and Education Around the World, a Conversation with Nicky Byres, Ann Pelo, Ziying Bei Bei Liu and Susan James-Allan. It's free and you can register here.

If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet - here is our recent conversation with Ben Mardell.

And here is our most recent Substack post. We explain the intentions we put behind our professional development work and share a variety of ways that you can connect with us. We hope you will!

“Imagination is a field of struggle, not an ephemeral afterthought that we have the luxury to dismiss or romanticize.”

— Ruha Benjamin​

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