Sean Burns on fri 4 nov 11
Yall-
I went to a nice parochial school in Burlington Vermont growing up-=
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4th grade we got the proverbial popsicle stick and glue creation project.=
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that time I was delivering papers in the morning as a small job- and cont=
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plastered across the headlines was Vietnam War photos and stories- so for=
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project I "responded" to that and created a bombed out airfield from my g=
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lue=3D20
and sticks- lets say it was not well recieved and I was perhaps percieved=
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slightly disturbed- So I created a "building" next- It won an award at th=
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school show- So go figure. Was I ahead of my time or just not playing to =
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standard teachers were looking for when I created the bombed out airfield=
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? I=3D20
remember that when I teach kids today- I am always trying to get across a=
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skill and concept but also allowing enough room for their voice within th=
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context of a public school.=3D20
Some schools and parents love tricky art projects- Holiday stuff- and =
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is nothing wrong with that- but as a teacher- what is the reason for it- =
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is a place for all of it for the right reasons- big A art and fun craft a=
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s well.
I am finishing up a New England Weather Vane inspired sculpture out of=
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Apple wood from a tree that split at a previous house I lived at- a flyin=
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g figure=3D20
set on a barn beam( via a hand made dowel through the middle enabling=3D20
movement )that my neighbors wife saved from her husbands burn pile- He wa=
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getting rid of crap- she was trying to save the atmosphere- me- I made ar=
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from it and I cant wait to show her the finished piece. I must have put i=
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n 150=3D20
hours on the figure over the years- and it is finally coming to a close- =
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I will=3D20
make my own pigments to color it - put a finish on her and call it done- =
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then=3D20
sell it if I can.=3D20
With all the downed wood from the recent record snow here as well as =
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resulting outages- I have been busy building the family woodpile since my=
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school has been out all week- also trying to get the firebox laid so I ca=
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n finish=3D20
off my wood kiln in the spring. I traded a Gibson mandolin for a post and=
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beam=3D20
hand hewn shed including the guy putting it on site- I had to metal roof =
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it- I=3D20
love trading and barter when I can. I got a call from my neighbor that th=
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e=3D20
local hospital had tore down one of their wood chip furnaces and had it i=
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n the=3D20
dumpster- I sped over and loaded my truck with the fire brick- my teen so=
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said he felt like a homeless family picking from a dumpster- he will get =
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it.......
When I get back to school Monday I look forward to opening the new=3D20=
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Fredrickson front loader I was able to purchase for my very lucky student=
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we get to do holds and ramps that were undoable previously. The school is=
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lower middle class and on hard times but an administrator helped me swing=
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purchase- Looks like I am in business for the near future at least with m=
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group of teens. We have state standards and curriculum requirements to de=
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with - people want accountablity from their schools after all-- so I keep=
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in mind as I plug forward with the kids- that is the context I teach in a=
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nd for=3D20
after all....... and Im on the public payroll.
best regards,
Sean Burns
Williamsburg, Ma.
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