On a walk through a new area and new place today I tried observing the various roots throughout my walk; trees, shrubs, grass, flowers, those little brown, fuzzy, flower things found in the Cranbrook area. I also noticed the buildings in the area. Maybe they didn’t have roots, but they were grounded, sturdy, and seemingly invincible. One of my favourite things about trees is how tall and strong they can grow. It seems magical sometimes, how tall the trees can grow without falling over. I wonder how deep the roots go of those tall and sturdy trees? I wonder how the trees stand when the roots seemingly run along the top of the ground? I wonder if under all that dirt the hundreds of tree roots are intertwined and grown together? When language like “feeling routed” is used, I think of feeling safe, grounded, and content in the space and moment I am in. In comparison, when I hear “branching out” I think of trying something new or going a different direction than normal.
Justyn Mackie and I built a structure together this week. Justyn and I wanted to build a strong and sturdy structure. We wanted it to last through the harsh seasons we see in Cranbrook, specifically the snow. I will get some more photos added to this post as we see how our structure lasts! We wanted our structure to represent our learning journey. To me, feeling rooted relates to sticking to your educational philosophy. Although our philosophies are changing and adapting as we learn throughout the program, see it important to stick to our routes and belief systems.