[Noisebridge-discuss] a little bit of info on the excel program, and an idea to move forward

[Michael Shiloh]

Man, these guys are hard to get in touch with, in spite of the handy 
contacts list on their web page.

My (soon-to-be-ex) wife spent some time on the phone and was able to get 
through to Jason Rigg, the new manager. He does not accept direct emails 
(can we work with someone like this?) and he directed her to the two 
documents we've already seen: the RFP and the spreadsheet.

He said to think "pie in the sky" and when they review the proposals 
they might want to negotiate down to something that they can fund.

I will next follow up on the leads that Lee got from 826 Valencia: 
Marisa and Dave.

Meanwhile, I get the impression that we can propose pretty much whatever 
we would like, so in order to keep the ball rolling, and since the 
deadline is the end of this month, let's start talking about this.

So, if we could propose our ideal program, what would it look like?

I'll toss out some of my ideas, but please let's hear yours, and don't 
take mine as a firm proposal:

Number of kids per class? I like no more than 10, although you do get a 
different dynamic with a larger group, assuming you have enough teachers.

Ages? I just finished teaching a bunch of 8-10 year olds. Very high 
energy, very low attention span. Sweet kids, though, and good work when 
they focused, but I spent too much of my time telling them not to bother 
each other etc.

7th-8th grades have the hormones making them crazy. I should know, I 
have a 14 year old daughter. Keep away.

High school can be the most rewarding, but is challenging. OTOH, this is 
probably the group that can most benefit from learning a creative skill 
in an after-school setting, and might especially enjoy the cool stuff we 
can teach. And, at their age especially, this could have a real impact 
on their future.

My preference? 10-12 or high school.

Subjects?
Let's keep this very broad.

Duration?
I think for the first time we do this, I suggest we do something like a 
6 week program, perhaps 2-3 times a week, and then expand as our 
confidence and experience dictates.

Let's also discuss philosophy. I really am not interested in working 
with "gifted" or even those already interested in science. The ones I 
prefer are those who think they can not understand this, or can not 
learn how to do this. And I like to draw out the kids who are quiet and 
don't jump up and raise their hands the first time. And I want to use 
materials and supplies that are cheap and readily available, so that 
after class they can continue or duplicate without having to spend lots 
of money. I want to keep this accessible to all, and especially the 
underserved.

I'm also particularly interested in getting more girls involved in what 
we do. We might consider having one group be a girls-only group, so they 
can develop their skills without having to compete with the guys. There 
are arguments on both sides of this issue, and I lean towards having a 
girls-only session.

Have at it!

M