Cloudwatching

I just came in from laying back in my comfy outside chair watching the clouds. Every second changing, just as you spot a good cloudbeing it begins to morph to another creature entirely then evaporates into mere whisps of white against the deeper blue. Spotted a turkey vulture effortlessly traveling east and a red tail hawk circling high aginst the broad backgound of blue sky with late summer cumulous clouds. Mind relaxing, creative thoughts flowing... Then the thought of returning to school next week ambushed my brain, the frantic pace yet endless tracts of wasted time (for the kids, and teachers too?) spent trapped inside forcefeeding kids the information they will need to answer those 40 questions in each subject that can mean graduation or not for them. Very little joy left in teaching and learning in our world of testing and more testing. Art and music are the only places left for some exploring and creative spark, at least in schools where they still exist. Where will we find the problem solvers and creative thinkers that we so desparately need? Maybe we should have cloudwatching sessions with no required essay, no multiple choice, no note taking, no testing- just minds open and relaxed and ready to function.