Lise's Lens: January 13, 2022
In this week's edition of Lise's Lens, Lise talks about Amanda's Gorman's Call Us What We Carry, an article on global warming citing the research of CSW Trustee Neta Crawford P'18, the TV show Emily in Paris, the anniversary of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, CSW's recent MLK assembly, and more...
WHAT I’M READING
- Out of the blue, one of my best friends (with whom I was an exchange student back in 10th grade over in Newton, MA), sent me Amanda Gorman's collection of poems, Call Us What We Carry. Though I haven’t yet finished Milwaukee Blues, I couldn’t resist cracking open Gorman’s collection, which just so happens to be the CSW Library's Book of the Week! It’s going to be hard for me to choose my favorite poems…
- I continue to try to educate myself on global warming, the pollutants around us, and on ways CSW can be a carbon neutral campus in the near future. I found this recently published article from The War Horse "We Must Do Our Part to Mitigate Climate Change" - The Military's Pollution Problem very enlightening. It refers to extensive research conducted by Professor Neta Crawford P’18, chair of the political science department at Boston University, and a CSW trustee. The piece offers some insight into hopeful steps the military has taken while also pointing out the work that must be done to help us reverse some of the scary trends our planet is facing. It's a great read.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO/WATCHING
- I had big plans to take my family to see “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” in January as a holiday gift. Instead, Omicron and the snow thwarted my plans and I had to revert to Plan B: Season 2 of Emily in Paris. I watched season one last summer and it certainly takes my mind off things. I enjoy seeing the sights of Paris; it’s a city I really love. It is interesting to read some of the comments about the show (I'm sharing the most recent one I read) and what Americans vs. Parisians think about it. As a French teacher, I'm particularly amused when Emily discovers new things about the French language and questions things like the logic of why some nouns are masculine and others feminine. This season, my favorite "Emily vs. French culture" moment so far was watching her process learning that “it's illegal in France to answer work calls on the weekend" – imagine that!
- Today on NPR I listened to “More than 1 million fewer students are in college, the lowest enrollment numbers in 50 years,” which made me think a lot about the tough decisions many young people around the country are making with regards to their education. As described in the segment, since the pandemic, “wages at the bottom of the economy have increased dramatically, making minimum-wage jobs especially appealing to young people as an alternative to college.”
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- MLK Day Assembly was so rich! We were truly inspired by the words and lessons of Dr. Nyle Fort. It was so inspiring, thought provoking, and such a source of wisdom that I am still processing its impact. I’ll be sharing more of my thoughts on the conversation early next week. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the assembly recording here.
- Yesterday was January 12 and that’s a big date for me and my family — the anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. For me and millions of others, the events of that day have had lasting consequences that continue to resonate in our everyday lives. But for most people in our community, yesterday was just another Wednesday. This got me thinking about how one can never really know what days hold meaning for certain people or communities. For that reason, we must always practice empathy and compassion. You never know what another person is going through.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
Last weekend, I dropped the pile of things I had to do to get outside and be with people and connect! Here's a shot of Math Chair and Dorm Parent Rashid Chatani guiding Jo Munoz '24, Garrett Jancourtz '25, Arissa Emile '22, Anela Takiguchi '23, and Henry Li '22 down the sledding hill. Believe it or not, I took a few runs on the sled myself!
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.