The previous postings are a live account of TDAR’s Monday activity. For those coming late to the game: circa autumn a certain local educator approached TDAR after seeing our FLUX exhibit at Historic Yellow Springs. He invited TDAR to consider creating a project that would address the issue of academic integrity at the local high school where he taught. The students there are among the state’s most driven learners, players, artists, and workers. They are primary examples of excellence: they wake up at 4 a.m. to row crew before starting class at 7:20am, then save the world as an extracurricular activity. Think Tracy Flick. Alas, with such great responsibility comes accountability; competition is stiff, and the school has had some difficulty with issues of academic integrity. Having all attended similar such schools, we decided rather than chastising to explore this larger system of grades, AP tests, clubs, and the various pressures to achieve.

So we made a cube. Ok, one step back. Here’s how we arrived at the cube’s construction. TDAR thought: what nuanced ideas could we deliver to the students? Obviously they’re smart. To tell them not to c.h.e.a.t, that’s just cliche. What if we created a temporary stress-free space in which the transmission of knowledge would take place independent of grades or evaluation? One wherein TDAR was not teaching them something, but they in fact were teaching us?

So we made a cube. We put the cube in a high-traffic area. And we invited students to step inside and teach us about ANYTHING–a favorite hobby, a little known fact, an essential high school survival skill. TDAR planned to sit in the space and take record of the lessons students offered in passing. We had no idea that it would become the center of attention that it did: over 250 students met with us.

2:20 p.m. – A dramatic climax! With our greatest crowd of the day (approx. 60 people), the a capella group gave an impromptu singing lesson / concert!

1:09 p.m. – Just learned how to spot a WWII airplane!

12:49 p.m. – Too many updates to mention. We’ve had a few more 3-D submissions, lots of cool origami

11:45 a.m. – A teacher has decided that his class is going to teach us how many students can fit in the cube…here’s hoping the pvc piping holds out…

11:41 a.m. – We just added a 3-D object to our collection. How do we get it in the book??

11:28 a.m.- A student who taught us how to doodle just returned to the box with an awesome drawing for us!

Update – 11:04 a.m. – In the past hour we’ve learned how to spot a vampire, the official date of the apocalypse (12/12/12), and the basics of sign language:

Hello! Here we are live at the high school. It’s 9:42 a.m. and I’ve  (this is Sarah) already learned how to milk a cow, jump a horse, and the difference between classic tap shoes and rhythmic tap shoes. We have  also learned how to spell the school’s name correctly (apologies to the readers of previous misspelling!). I think there’s a volleyball team on the way. James is about to learn how to foxtrot with a teacher. Okay, he has to lead. She is teaching him how to take the right steps and how to hold her correctly. I think the main challenge here is that James has to learn how to be a strong leader while remembering the steps. She is also letting James know that he needs to have a better flow. James is blaming his new shoes. Sure James. Sure.

This is the Padlock video the previous post refers to. It is all well and good viewed here with a nice steady internet connection, but let’s  be clear: this exists on a VHS tape, playing from the purest white television compact set in the Padock Gallery in south philly. Indeed.

TDAR rolled out its video recap remix at Padlock Gallery in South Philadelphia this past Saturday. The show featured a smörgåsbord of PIFAS paraphernalia and performance. Showing artists included the usual suspects–too many to name here, but if you take a gander at the PIFAS faculty page , you can get a good idea of the array of items showcased. We TDARians edited a best-of video of last August’s Academic Aesthetic Breakout Session, wrote it to VHS (obviously.), and played it continuously throughout the eve. Of note: the VHS played from the most perfect apparatus imaginable: a compact white television complete with white headphones. Really, you deserve to see this in its element.

The show continues throughout the month. You must make an appointment to visit the show. Contact markprice1026 (at) gmail (dot) com.