Bring Life to Learning
In his essay, The Heart of a Teacher, Parker J. Palmer talks about teaching as a "daily exercise in vulnerability." He explains that we teach the things we care about. The things we care about define our personhood and as we weave connection between ourselves, our subjects and students, we are vulnerable to their "indifference, judgment, ridicule." We reduce this vulnerability by disconnecting from students and sometimes from our own passion for learning and our own teacher-hearts.
Palmer's essay is a backdrop to my thinking about our work at Venture. Sometimes we describe our students as "disconnected" or "at-risk" learners and we center our efforts on engaging their brains and their intellects. I wonder, are we paying enough attention to their hearts? How about our own hearts?
As teachers, our knowledge is our stock-in-trade and its importance shouldn't be underestimated. The notion of school is built on the general expectation that we will apply our teacher techniques to the student and, if we're skilled at our trade, they absorb a portion of our knowledge and become educated. Sadly, the culture of school is marked by a pervasive dismay that students aren't holding up their ends of the bargain. They are disconnected, at-risk learners. The business of teaching is intellectual work; however, it is personal passion brought to the learning stage that speaks to students' hearts and infectiously ignites their own excitement to explore the world. Passion, of course, is heart work and it grows in an interactive community of learners. Teaching with heart and sharing our passions with students breathes life into a stale world of education. Creating a learning experience that empowers students to explore, talk about and think about the subject you love lets them learn to find their own passions and come to understand their own truths.
Purpose and meaning are created where intellect and emotion intersect. When the work proceeds from the integration of what our heads know and our hearts feel, teaching and learning become mutually joyous processes This is a vulnerable undertaking and requires us to wrestle a bit with our own inner landscapes. As we do this work, community is as important for us as it is for our students. I invite you to reflect on how you both give and accept support from your colleagues. For myself, I am grateful to each of you. I appreciate that we share ideas and I thank you for the ways you've helped me to grow professionally and in my own spirit. While I may leave tired at the end of the day, the work we do energizes me and I am inspired by you to continue pushing forward.
Staff Engagement Survey:
Please take the staff engagement survey before you leave on Friday. This is for all staff members. If you work with a classified staff member who doesn't read the blog (even though they should), please show this to them. Thank you!
Student Engagement Survey:
The student engagement survey is in the Clever portal for all students. Please have them take the survey during advisory class by Friday. We are aiming for 100% to complete the survey which means we need to catch absent students as they return. The window of opportunity will close on March 31.
Design Team:
Design Team members will help Venture establish a new mission and vision, set goals and lead the work of meeting those goals. If you are interested in helping to lead this process, please click here:
Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Posey
Monday 3/8:
Tuesday 3/9:
Wednesday 3/10: PD Day 8:00 Staff meeting Agenda 9:00 Andi West: attachment styles Thursday 3/11:
Friday 3/12:
Bus/Parking lot duty: Stolken and Doering
Monday 3/15:
Tuesday 3/16:
Wednesday 3/17: PD Day St. Paddy's Day Potluck Thursday 3/18:
Friday 3/19:
Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker and Pavlik
Monday 3/22:
Tuesday 3/23:
Wednesday 3/24: Non Work Day Thursday 3/25:
Friday 3/26:
Bus/Parking lot duty: Spring Break
Monday 3/29: Sleep and play
Tuesday 3/30: Sleep and play
Wednesday 3/31: Sleep and play
Thursday 4/1: Sleep and play
Friday 4/2: Sleep and play
