Our Realm of Influence

So many thanks to all of you for your trust, honesty, faith and time as we traveled down this CFG journey this year.  If you couldn't join us today, we did some reflecting on what kept us coming to the CFG this year.  What surprised us?  What did we value?

Here are some notes on what was meaningful to us about the CFG:

-getting a glimpse into each others' classrooms and practice
-being inspired by colleagues' perspectives on the work they're doing
-walking away feeling energized and fulfilled instead of drained or frustrated
-hearing your own teaching frustrations mirrored in someone else's story, then hearing ideas and suggestions in their context that could be applied to your own
-a sense of honor and relationship

What would you add to this list?  I'd love to hear from you about what you valued, what you craved more of, what you would like to see explored or questioned. I'll continue to compile this feedback as we look forward to next year.

We also tried out The Orchard Cove Protocol to look forward to next year.  What work seems imperative to Lower School?  What next steps do you think are important for us to embark on together as a learning community? What support will we need?  What support can we provide each other?

In the spirit of that last question, what support we can provide one another, a model called the Realms of Concern and Influence came up.  I offer it to you here as a tool for your own reflection, a journal prompt, or an activity with your team.  Listing our concerns comes easily. What happens when we really look at what is within our immediate influence?  What small changes can we make to our own time, collaborations and practice that can widen our realm of influence and ease our realms of concern?

Thank you again, friends, for your willingness to share this year together.  I can't wait to see what the next school year holds in store for us.

Our Last Gathering of the Year

Our last scheduled gathering for this school year is tomorrow, Wed., May 15th. Let's plan on gathering from 4-5:30, and to reflect together on our school year and our experience as professional collaborators.   See you then!