Mr. Thornton was my gifted/talented teacher from 1984-1987. He taught me creative writing, acrylic painting, drawing, mobile-making, computer programming and much more.
Now that I think about it, he was also my first introduction to meditation. He'd have us lie on the floor and relax our bodies. Then he'd guide us through a series of images, focusing our attention on the heat of the sidewalk, the roughness of lichen on a stick we come across, the feel of green grass under our feet, etc. Then he'd have us write a short story or a haiku or an essay on the nuclear arms race. Or we'd walk outside, find a stick and draw it. The last time I saw him was 1987. He passed away a few years ago. Would have been nice to see him again and say thanks.
So awesome to have this photo of us together.