Come in and pull up a chair. You may want to make yourself a cup of coffee or tea or pour yourself a Diet Pepsi. This is a space on the Internet that I carved out to document, articulate, and share the artifacts and reflections of a journey I’ve been on since 2003. To adapt a term to my own needs, this space will be a place for my portfolio – my blog-wiki-Flikr-folio if you’d like. This e-folio will be shared with my friends, mentors, and colleagues in Communities for Learning. The purpose of this site is to follow in the tradition of brilliant educators that have created their own space in the form of artwork, books, journals, and binders to reflect their own growth as a Fellow within the community.
So – got that beverage? Let’s start with the big picture. Communities for Learning is a professional community of learners. To quote our own website: Communities for Learning is comprised of Fellows who are teachers, students, administrators, professional developers and university faculty. This community provides a deep approach to school reform by promoting, developing and supporting change from within education.
Consider what that means.
For me, this means that I have the honor of belonging to an organization whose sole purpose is empower educators and learners to improve their schools from within. Not only do I get to participate in such a noble cause, I get to support the cause in a way that matches my own passions and interests. Communities for Learning meets 7 days over the school year and for 5 days in the summer. There are approximately 40 Fellows spread across Western New York and the Long Island, New York City area. When the entire community is together, laughter is plentiful, energy is high, and the discourse is invigorating. Even when not together physically, we are connected via a shared committed to practice and dispositions.
Every educator who belongs to Communities for Learning brings with them their dreams of uncovering their own expertise and their ability to improve schools. What I bring to the sessions is no more valuable or worthy than what any other Fellow brings. Several Fellows are master-level listeners who can help you reframe your thinking with one well placed question. Other members of the community could qualify as professional storytellers. They are able to hold a large group enraptured while they tell stories of their classrooms, of their schools, of their families, and communicate their passion for teaching and learning through laughter. One Fellow brings a visual understanding of the world that is breathtaking. Others have such strong emotional barometers that they know where to sit to make others feel most comfortable, who to engage in conversation, or when to remain silent. There are community members who have mastered their content area but still quest for more knowledge. There are members who go fearlessly into the unknown, making connections between questions and content that seemed impossible moments before. A breathing example of gestalt, Communities for Learning has been a sanctuary, a jumping off point, and truly a community for educators.
This introduction thus begs the question – where do I fit in this community? What do I bring to this esteemed group of teachers and learners? How has a self-confessed Geek/Data Diva gone from being a one to a member of the many?
So, refill that drink, and have fun. I did.
