My friend, Ray Romereau (left), and I visited LAS GOLONDRINAS (Place of the Swallows), Santa Fe's open air-living museum about the Southwest. It is Harvest weekend and we had a chance to see candle making, wool dying, grape pressing, the flour milling, school house and chile festival with real
life vaqueros (cowboys). Ray's friend, Dan Hart (right), taught us how to throw tomahawks last year. All of the Southwest activities of daily living are pictured here, the New Mexican folk dancing, with the baillerinas, who could not take their eyes off each other(photo below).The grape pressing and skein dying also use native plants such as indigo and chamisa.. Grapes, once indigenous, to New Mexico are now in short supply. I have always thought that teaching students is like cultivating soil. With the requisit amounts of sunshine (energy), soil (brain matter), water (content) and some tenderloving cultivation (enthusiasm) by caring teachers, one can produce a healthy crop!!
Yesterday I was shocked to learn that in early schools, the dunce cap was used for students who did not know their lessons! I only found this out when I spoke to the teacher in the 1800's classroom who said, "No, a dunce hat is not for a student who misbehaves, they will be punished with a stick, but for one who has not learned their lessons!"
This year is remarkably different than last year. Capital High opened with two new co-principals and music by our school band the Mariachis. I have a new classroom in th
e modern J Wing. Linoleum floors, bright lights at ground level and all new desks. I have decorated my walls with maps and student work reflecting the period of Early American History and Government, the 6 basic provisions of the Constitution: Federalism, Limited Government, Judicial Review, Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers and Popular Sovereignty. My Yale curriculum on maps and map making will continue next week with the map of Lewis and Clark's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. We will use the original map and survey aspects of their pursuit of the Northwest Passage. I am using Ken Burns' video and an adaptation from Yale of basic striding and navigating using compasses and orienteering. I need some help to manage two classes of 25 kids with their compasses and map making. My objective is to enable students to take a look at where they are, how we measure distance and orientation, and create symbols for our environment. This is step one of the curriculum. Eventually we will learn what is on maps and what is not! Here in Santa Fe and in other parts of the US, all is not what it seems. 
