CFS: the early years

a school calls itself into being

an idea came from somewhere

into the hearts of members of a Quaker meeting,

Friends who felt the calling of that of God

within themselves, within others,

and then that calling came from the potential of a school

that would shape itself into being,

a school that would be there, for black and white together,

that would become what students need,

that would become what teachers could envision and create,

that could be re-envisioned every year, every day, every moment,

for truth is continually revealed, and obscured,

a school must constantly listen and respond

to the truth of each individual’s journey

and to the truth of the community

inherent in the possibilities

of individuals coming together,

four longterm staff sit together and visit,

sharing their stories of how each came to the school,

of the journey to create space and curriculum

that could unleash the learner’s power,

their drive to be, to become, to imagine:

a pine cone, stripped of its seeds, becomes a shrimp,

and shrimp races are born,

at the playground acorns become money,

mud becomes cookies, play is real:

the fort, the kitchen, the cardboard city,

one student’s special world is shared with the class,

and for two months his world holds theirs,

as story after story comes into being

within the welcoming arms of his newly-envisioned world,

within the storytelling I hear:

the effort of a young school with limited resources,

rescued carpet from a Durham hotel closing down,

better than no carpet, but still a trial,

furniture from the Record Bar going out-of-business, repurposed,

even three coffins used for coats

when closets made way so that two rooms

could be connected to allow family grouping of 7-10 year olds,

a bus service that broke down too often,

buses that were cheap because they weren’t worth much,

wood stove and chill to save on electricity:

staff and students making do,

I hear of administrators who support staff’s risks,

and colleagues who work to make sure

the kids stay central,

that the staff stay true to the cutting edge

where extraneous falls away, 

and the shape within reveals its beauty.

by Henry H. Walker

January 21, ‘19