Thursday, February 13, 2025
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On Monday I Lost a dear friend. Faye and I met 30+ years ago when we were both hired to teach at the Contemporary Learning Academy (CLA) . CLA was an innovative school designed for high school students, who had gotten off the education path, to re-enter school and earn their diploma.
The CLA hiring process was just as experiential as the school itself; It consisted of a “Survivor” like test for prospective teaching staff. I don’t remember all the details except that we were asked to complete an obstacle course as a team. We were in an office building and the obstacles were chairs, desks and trash barrels. We crawled on the floor and over objects while the hiring committee sat at different locations with clip boards, taking notes about our behaviors and interactions. It seemed very innovative and exciting at the time but I cringe when I think about it now.
Once hired, the staff attended a real ropes course for team building (fun but still cringe worthy). From there the teachers worked in teams to create thematic teaching units. As the visual art teacher, I would design an art lesson that would contribute to whatever theme we decided upon for that quarter. With the support of our wonderful principal Ms. Lewis, the staff was let loose to be innovative and creative.
It was a challenging student population- the smaller percentage were alcoholics, drug abusers and law offenders. Our goal was to teach them and their goal was to challenge all authority. The larger percentage were students who found themselves off the education grid due to homelessness, pregnancy, family tragedy. For all the students, their education had been interrupted and we were there to help them piece it back together and graduate.
Faye and I became fast friends from the very beginning. Faye had much more experience than I at planning experiential learning for students. She would plan and organize and I was her support and execution team. We taught outside the confines of the school building, the inner city and wilderness were our classrooms. Cross country skiing, overnight raft trips ( Faye’s brother Scott got in the act and expertly guided a raft trip) , and ropes courses were all a part of the learning experience at CLA. For me, these years are my most innovative and proudest teaching years of my career. The same was true for Faye.
As all good things must come to an end, so did CLA as we knew it. But Faye and I were forever bonded. We both continued teaching in Denver Public Schools and Faye continued to provide wonderful experiences for her students.
Faye and I would get together for meals, hikes, labyrinth walks, the theater, teacher union meetings, concerts, book signings, liquor tastings, botanic garden visits and more.
Faye was a forever teacher, as am I , always looking for the educational value of every experience. When Faye wasn’t teaching students she was planning gatherings and adventures for her family and friends (even in her last days). As a participant in some of these adventures, I continued to be her support and execution team (donuts anyone?).
Faye, I will miss you terribly.
