By Merlin Zimmerman
September 1999 marks the beginning of the first school year in which none of the original founders of Mini-School remains on its staff. How shall we begin the New Era? Do we act like nothing has changed? That won’t work. Do we throw out the old and rebuild from the ground up? That would work no better.
It is a great joy for me to become the English teacher at Mini-School. The position is filled with both history and potential. There are few schools like ours with a 30 year lifespan, so the history of Mini-School is one of pioneering! I have had the pleasure of being friends of the Mini-School staff for several years, so I got to see and hear some of that history firsthand.
Now the newly modified staff, of which I am a part, have the opportunity to direct the evolution of Mini into the next millennium. You’ve got to wonder where it is going to lead. Who could have predicted from the beginning that we would end up with the success we have now? With much thanks and respect for the great people who have gotten us this far, I must say I am excited at the thought of beginning the New Era.
Classes have been gaining momentum during the beginning of the year. The students have risen to the challenge of learning the styles of a new pair of teachers. Blocks have included topics such as personal finance, acid rain, Minnesota government and the language of design. The newspaper classes are rolling along nicely, while the sophomore-level students are working on skills that are identified in the new government policy, the Profiles of Learning. Adapting the Mini-School curriculum to the Profiles will no doubt be one of the more interesting challenges the staff will be dealing with this year.
The Mini-School trips program, a vital part of our work, has had a strong start this year. Already this fall, we have had a trip out on the Rum River (we had the assistance of a pretty darn competent canoe guide by the name of Doug), and 17 students went on the 13th annual Mark Warren trip. Day trips have included a morning climbing the walls at a rock climbing gym in Bloomington, a trip to the U of M Arboretum, and another to the state Capitol. As we go to print, we are preparing for the Grantsburg hike. We look forward to having some of the best weather ever experienced on this trip. (We’ve heard all the stories.) More news about winter and spring trips will follow in later issues.
This fall has been the ultimate shake-down cruise. Every single person in the program has gone through a period of adjustment: veterans and rookies, both students and teachers. The amazing part, though, is that as we journey into the New Era, as we work together, and struggle together, we will become stronger as a group. I can already feel the crew beginning to pull together. The more miles we put behind us, the more exciting the miles ahead look!