Become a Jeweler
I attended the Delaware Vision Coalition Conference at University of Delaware last week. The conference title inspired me: Strengthening Collaboration. The speakers and panelists invited us to look deeply at collaboration from multiple perspectives and in a variety of dimensions. While there were many highlights and lots of stimulating discussion, I left with four takeaways that haunt me. I’m curious if they will affect you the same way.
1) Destiny Cheeks, a high school senior opened the conference with an original poem reminding everyone of the importance of youth voice. As a special educator, I immediately thought about encouraging students to have voice in their IEP goals. What about having voice in designing how they will learn? Dusty Blakely, Superintendent of Colonial School District shared that their students conduct school tours. The students tell it like it is and simplify issues that need to be addressed. Bravo!
2) Director of UD’s Partnership for Public Education, Liz Farley-Ripple‘s definition of collaboration illuminated the issue. The root of the word is co (together) and labor (working). She invited us to look at how collaboration is all about laboring side by side to accomplish something. How often does your collaboration look like laboring side by side with others to accomplish a common goal? That certainly simplifies how we discuss collaboration. What’s our common goal? and what work are we each doing to contribute toward that common goal? Thanks, Liz!
3) Robyn Howton, English Department Chair at Mt. Pleasant High School asked if teacher voice is central on education related initiatives. School improvement issues and systemic initiatives that involve teachers won’t be embraced unless teachers have a voice from the beginning. She encouraged educational leaders to invite teachers to join task forces and planning teams. “You will be surprised how many will say yes.” Keep going, Robyn! I’ve heard you voice that message for years. People do hear you! Fortunately, more leadership roles are emerging for teachers who love their classroom work with children.
4) Dana Beckton, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Christiana Care Health System had the brightest gem of the conference for me. She acknowledged Destiny and students like her who are shining diamonds, but she asked us to consider the majority of students across the state. She observed, “Talent is equally distributed; opportunity is not.” What are we going to do for the students who may not get the same opportunities to shine? She challenged us, “Rather than looking for diamonds let’s become a jeweler?” Think on that!
