By Brian Skeele, on March 21st, 2011
I should have been a woodshop teacher, (BA in Industrial Arts) but went into construction instead.
Much to my amazement, I keep being drawn to learning, my own ongoing growth and the Santa Fe School District’s trials and tribulations. Quite a few years ago, I came across the idea that schools could be centers of communities; in fact they used to be, all across America. The light bulbs went off…What if schools were reconfigured and became the hearts of “Mixed use, mixed income neighborhoods, with lifelong learning, and open space”??!!
Live, work, play, learn, shop, all within walking
If they were conveniently located, and multiple stories for commercial shops and teacher’s housing were added for smarter density, teachers could walk to work and to the corner grocer.
If the buildings were used by the community into the evenings year round, the sharing of facilities would lower everyones’ costs. The cafeteria and dining area could be a restaurant/cafe, a bakery, and a community gathering space after hours. Solar panels on the roofs could supply electricity and hot water for not only the school, but excess capacity could be sold to the surrounding neighborhood, adding to the District’s coffers, with increased efficiency and lowered transmission losses.
All of these functions, planning, and redevelopment makes for great hands-on learning. It’s all curriculum. It’s all preparing our children with real learning for real jobs in the growth industry of the 21 st Century, the transformation of suburbia into sustainable neighborhoods.
So keep on the lookout for curriculum, mentoring programs, and other learning possibilities in your areas of concern, and post them to the website. This page will gather them all and make em available for learners of all ages- because we’re all learning what makes sustainable real!