Making the Path by Walking

The Way of St. James, perhaps more commonly known as the Camino de Santiago, has been since the 9th century an ambulatory avenue for reflection. The ancient path that stretches from the French Pyrenees to Spain’s Santiago de Compestela, was first traversed by Roman tradesmen, then Christians seeking “indulgences” from the Medieval Church. Today, various paths associated with the Camino are walked by more than 200,000 people a year as a form of spiritual, emotional and/or physical exercise.The Camino de Santiago has been a topic in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” James Michener’s “Iberia,” Ken Follet’s “Pillars of the Earth,” and the 2010 film “The Way,” written and directed by Emilio Estevez and starring his father, Martin Sheen. This summer, it was also the subject of Chandler Wilson’s Fund for Teachers fellowship. In her fourth year of teaching, Chandler also teaches evening art classes to all ages across the greater Oklahoma City area. She previously worked in the child welfare continuum and that work continues to inform how she teaches the power of art in social emotional development and community building. We caught up with Chandler in Santiago de Compestela the day after completing her 406 mile fellowship…Learn more about Fund for Teachers on our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages and apply for YOUR self-designed fellowship at fundforteachers.org.Music on podcast: Scott Harris: Clear Progress