Place Part III: The place that we chose to make our home speaks to who we are. The items we surround ourselves with and the manner in which we choose to arrange our living and work spaces-especially when the two overlap-can reveal insights into our everyday personas as well as the people we aspire to be. Here the place where educator Nora Kassakikian lives, creates, and sometimes even teaches...
Q: What do you love about your home?
A: I love the fact that I'm surrounded by nature. At the end of the day I feel as though I can relax and clear my head. It's the first time in my life where I've lived in an area where I can truly hear the sound of owls, frogs and crickets as well as the occasional howls of Coyotes. I can finally hear myself think instead of the chaos of the city.
Q: What are your thoughts on how traditional public classrooms are run/structured?A: I believe that schools should have students spend more time learning outdoors. Many students do not take the time to investigate their environment. They don't take the time to question and observe. Learning by observation is a big part of life and a good life skill to acquire.
Many public classrooms are also dark. As a substitute teacher, I have walked into several classrooms where the first thing I've done is to open up all the blinds and windows. The students walk in and express that something is different but it often takes them at least half an hour to figure out that they are no longer learning in the dark.
Q: Describe your ideal classroom
A: I would love to have an outdoor classroom where students have the opportunity to learn from their environment. I believe an outdoor classroom would be ideal for me. I was able to experience teaching outdoors for Art Meets Fashion and I believe that it worked out pretty well. The students were engaged and the group had a lot of fun introducing their topic to the students.
Photographs: 2010 Melissa Au, Dandelion Dreams Photography
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