Andrew Davidson

I love the last week of the quarter.

Students call it “Dead Week,” not because there is nothing going on, but because they are dead tired finishing all of their course work before finals.

The last week always puts me in a good mood, seeing everyone wrapping up projects, attending final presentations in colleagues’ courses, watching all of the angst gradually dissipate as everyone realizes they have successfully concluded another round of their education.

And when I’m in a good mood, I always want to listen to something energizing on my commute. In the winter, as now, I usually just ride my bike to the station, take the light rail to campus, and then ride to my office, instead of riding the whole way as when the weather is better.

One day during dead week, the ear buds came out and I’m not really sure why, but The Clash came on, and I was rocking out to “Lost in the Supermarket,” “Clampdown,” and “London Calling.”

And then, again I’m not sure why, the soundtrack to “La La Land” was irresistible, even if it made for an odd segue.

The music makes me reflect, somehow, on what a wonderful career this is, being able to work with so many talented students and inspiring colleagues.

Not the least of this appreciation is what is happening in our ASB project. All quarter, our students have been researching, planning, designing, and rehearsing the workshop they will lead for middle school students in Neah Bay. This process has been fascinating and so satisfying to be a part of.

Our idea from the beginning was that THEY would develop the curriculum. They all have knowledge of the subject—design thinking and human centered design—and different kinds of experiences in teaching, although not of this exact topic.

Watching them all grapple with large and deep issues of pedagogy in how to guide groups of middle school students through a week of hands-on activities to reach the goal of prototyping a mobile app has been wonderful. The crew shows tremendous dedication, professionalism, creativity, and passion for this.

And they are becoming teachers. In these few weeks with just a few hours together each week, they have come up with a detailed curriculum, lesson plans for each day, slide presentations, and ideas for how to engage and interact with the students.

Choosing to spend spring break working instead of catching up on life or just relaxing or doing things for oneself is quite a commitment. The camaraderie is in evidence; the humor and enthusiasm and the sheer energy has been inspiring.

As the planning phase comes to an end, we are looking forward to the trip out to Neah Bay, spending a week with 85 middle school kids and their teachers and families and community.

And each other.

I’ve done a lot of bicycle touring, where I load some gear on my bike and head out someplace I’ve never been before. Pick a destination, explore a route along the way, discover new places and things — about the world and yourself.

A big part of the allure for me of this kind of journey is the research before you leave — where you will stop, camp, sleep, eat, what will you see on the road, what are the towns like, the landscape, the hills, the weather, a million unknowns.

In the days before Google Earth and Street View, it was easy to not have your imagined picture of the trip spoiled by knowledge. Being surprised, and a little nervous about it all was part of the excitement. What will I find? Can I cope with unexpected circumstances that pop up?

Along the way, you see things you didn’t expect or know would be there, experience places as they are, for what they are, and let reality catch up to all of the reading and research you’ve done.

Inevitably it is surprising.
Always it is enlightening.
Undoubtedly it is enriching.

You get to your destination, having completed the trip, conquered the challenges (physical and mental), and satisfied your curiosity.

This week marked the start of a new trip, with a new team setting out on a journey of discovery about a new place, a new community, and a new group of people.

I have the very strong feeling that this project, like a bike trip, will be an important one of discovery for all of us.

We know our destination and our goals there, but very little else. We are all excited, nervous, curious, and inspired.

The spirit of the team was already evident in our first meeting, as we got organized, got to know each other, figured out how to work together, learned from each other, and started the journey.

We have kicked off our HCDE Alternative Spring Break project !

Our team, pictured below, is off and running designing the workshop they will run at the Markishtum Middle School, in Neah Bay, Washington, during their spring break this year.

Neah Bay is a spectacularly beautiful place at the northwestern tip of the continental United States, on the Olympic Peninsula near Cape Flattery. It is the home of the Makah Tribe, the qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌ (Cape People), one of the native peoples of the Olympic Peninsula.

This week, Catie, Lydia, and I traveled to Neah Bay for a day to meet with Principal Jennifer Sikes and the teachers at the school we will be working with, to discuss plans for the spring break workshop.

We came away inspired about the journey ahead of us, excited and full of ideas for our collaboration