What’s Happening at Bement
No matter the weather, Bement’s students still take advantage of the living classroom that surrounds them in Historic Deerfield. The fourth grade has begun their intensive study of colonial life in New England, and last week despite frigid temperatures and whipping winds they ventured out for a walking tour of Historic Deerfield. Here they are pictured in all their winter regalia alongside the Liberty Pole on Main Street in Deerfield (soon after they went into nearby Hall Tavern for a colonial cooking class, so they didn’t completely freeze!). The fourth grade will continue their study of colonial New England throughout the winter, culminating in the annual Apprentice Fair.
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To
Over the last few weeks I have been indulging in some very unprofessional reading: my children gifted me Stephen King’s Christine for Christmas. I’m a little more than halfway through and, so far, it hasn’t been exactly what I expected. Rather than a gory tale of a murderous car running down innocent pedestrians, the novel is a study in obsession and late-stage adolescence. It’s also a relic from the early 1980’s, which is a fun trip down memory lane. Though I wasn’t an adolescent during those years (the novel was published in 1983), my two older brothers were, so many of the references to music, culture, clothing, and high school life resonate with my memories of those years. I’m sure there is more supernatural horror in store as the narrative builds, but so far Christine has been a surprising diversion.
What Else Is on My Mind
The catastrophic fires in Los Angeles are impossible not to think about–the stories and images coming out of the communities affected seem almost unreal, as if from a disaster movie. At the same time as the fires erupted in California, those of us in New England were experiencing a few days of violent winds, but it was sobering to know that our 30-40 mph gusts were less than half the intensity of the winds that supercharged those devastating wildfires. My thoughts go out to everyone whose life or the life of a loved one has been disrupted, either by the agony of being displaced from their home, or worse, losing a loved one in such a horrifying calamity. Schools and children across the region have felt the impact, too, from unexpected closures to, in some cases, whole school campuses burned to the ground. The independent school community has begun to rally around its members in Los Angeles, with boarding schools across New England opening their doors to accommodate displaced students. In the face of such strife, I am reminded of Rebecca Solnit’s inspiring book, A Paradise Built in Hell, which chronicles the extraordinary human phenomenon of community togetherness that disasters promote. Solnit’s research reveals amazing stories of selflessness, heroism, and optimism that arise in response to loss and destruction, and she posits that natural disasters ultimately promote the development of stronger ties between human beings. I hope the communities of Los Angeles are through the worst of the pain and suffering that these latest fires have brought, so they can begin rebuilding their city and forging a new sense of community and shared purpose.