Best Part of Collaboration: Hosting A Philosophy Course In The Walsh Gallery Art Museum

We spent the first hour of yesterday's Philosophy of Education undergraduate course at the Walsh Gallery in the Quick Center, a part of the Fairfield University Art Museum. The students had opportunity to listen to the radio show about the collaboration hearing Claudia Connor, Akbar, and Rick Shaefer's wisdom, while absorbing the talent in the work and the power of collaborating.

I sometimes try to put myself in the position of the students (wondering if I'd be able to sustain 60 minutes of audio in a museum), but I think it went real well. The story of the work is incredible, and hearing the product from Akbar served to make a point. Upon departure, I also invoked my good ol' sage, Sue, to allow my students a 30-minute walk-n-talk to process the artwork and to think about their own educational experiences.

They returned to our regular classroom to discuss what they talked about, to think critically about Paolo Friere, and to discuss opening chapters of Kristina Rizga's Mission High. We capped the afternoon by reading Op-Eds written by Connecticut teachers and pinpointed some of the major obstacles facing educators in the area today.

We were fortunate, too, because when we arrived Rick Shaefer was there showing his daughter, a curator, the work he had on display. He was able to say hello to the students briefly and I had a moment to catch up with him.

I am still loving the fact that I had an opportunity to connect with others on this partnership. Sometimes the moments really do shine...