Jacob: Our New Edge Maker

Jacob begins work on his longhouse with the assistance of a fellow Edge Maker. 
Picture taken by the Edge faculty.

Midway into October, I (Jonathan Bisson) was running dorm supervision at Kildonan.  I was helping students settle down after sports, holding conversations on classes, and otherwise keeping the peace.  While taking one of my rounds, I happened to run into Jacob.  After niceties, he explained that he had sought me out to discuss the possibility of his joining Edge at the beginning of the second quarter.  He wished to reassure me that he found his classes engaging and challenging, but he went on to stress that he had devised a definitive plan for an individualized course of study.  He did not wish to wait to pursue it.  Impressed by Jacob's self-advocacy, I recommended that he contact the entire Edge Team in order to continue the conversation.  I then moved on my way, already planning the discussion I would have with my fellow advisors.

Jacob beat me to it, however.  Again demonstrating impressive self-resolve, he arrived in the Edge Team's office the very next day ready to speak with us.  During our conversation, he unveiled the focus of his potential Edge work:  outdoor adventure and Nature.  He announced that he wished to study individuals who live/journey in the woods, stressing that he could compare Henry David Thoreau (of Walden) and Bill Bryson (of A Walk in the Woods) to Chris McCandless (á la Into the Wild).  Feeling great excitement as a community, the Edge Team and Jacob concluded the meeting with the understanding that the latter would contact Dr. Taft (our Academic Dean) in order to initiate the change.  Jacob left with the approval of the team, but I could not help but feel a little anxious as to whether he would proceed through all of the appropriate steps before the end of the quarter.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded.  When I paused to check in with Jacob thereafter, he shared tidbits of highlights from his ongoing conversations with Dr. Taft.  Not too long afterward, she and Jacob contacted the Edge Team and requested a meeting to discuss his membership.  With his tutor present, we decided upon two classes that he could drop, rearranged his tutoring block, and spoke at length about Jacob's fascination with Nature relative to survivalism and his pending ascension to Eagle Scout.  Jacob also assured us that his parents approved of his involvement, and various communications later revealed that the family was indeed on-board.  Seeing no obstacles in our way, we adjourned the meeting.  We moved out of the first quarter, welcoming Jacob to our community two and a half weeks ago.

A still from Yves Simoneau's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007).  Gall
(Eric Schweig), Sitting Bull (August Schellenberg), and One Bull as Nathan
Chasing Horse (Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse) pictured above.  Photo
from Annabel Reyes/HBO, taken from www.tvguide.com.

In retrospect, I marvel at the introductory week Jacob designed for himself! Largely shunning feelings of shyness and uncertainty, he hit the ground running on his first day by announcing that he would investigate Native Americans.  More specifically, he explained, he would create a timeline of various indigenous people's interactions with European settlers.  Immediately grasping the collaborative nature of the program, he worked with the Edge faculty to investigate the documentary The Canary Effect.  Feeling shocked by the nature of the policies that the U.S. government has handed down to indigenous peoples, he spurred himself to further develop his understanding using the film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007).  By mid-week, he stressed that he was evaluating the relationship between Native Americans and Christopher Columbus.  He also commenced an investigation into the early climate of the Americas so that he might better understand the workings of local Native American and European communities.  He has not stopped there, either.  He concluded his week by creating a longhouse in the hope that he would better understand the dwellings of Native American tribes living in the Northeastern regions of the soon-to-be country.  He also created a log in which he compared Native Americans to Medieval Europe in their approaches to natural resources and expansion.

Jacob's cross-cultural study.  Photo taken by the Edge faculty.

Ultimately, Jacob has embraced the program wholeheartedly.  He has designed a number of interesting pursuits for himself, and he has evinced no fear or hesitation in developing these.  No less importantly, he has conducted himself professionally during every step of the process that has led him to the present.  He demonstrated personal resolve by initiating the conversation concerning his membership, and he acted professionally by promptly initiating and maintaining regular communication with the Edge Team and Dr. Taft.  We at Edge are excited to have you as an Edge Maker, Jacob, and we look forward to seeing you flourish in the future!

Have a thought on Jacob's journey? A resource for his investigation? Please post in the comments below!