I’m not sure what it is about schools, and school people, that I like so much. Especially since I must admit to having spent the vast majority of my own schooling considering all the other places I’d rather be and all the other things I’d rather be doing. But now that I’ve been in and around secondary schools for over 35 years I’ve come to really appreciate Schools & School People.
By and large, I’ve found School People to be optimists, the kind of folks who are pretty interested in co-creating a positive future, and the kind of people willing to plant trees – even ones the shade of which they will never sit under. They are smart, collaborative, creative, and the great ones are not only capable of the sort of self reflection that leads to personal growth, but they are the kinds of leaders that can build that ability among students and faculty as well.
I also find schools to be a fascinating wrinkle in the space-time continuum. They are where students sit in the present to learn about the past while simultaneously considering and creating their futures. It makes for interesting spaces, and the great schools find ways to capture and channel that energy into really incredible things.
One of the great gifts of the Elevate project to date has just been getting to be in conversation with really incredible educators – people who think deeply about their schools, their community, their students, faculty, and staff, the role of education and the kind of school community they want to build. Time with the Advisory Board has been equally rewarding, and as we are in the stage of getting confirmations for participation from the 20 schools each successive “Yes Please! How Exciting!” is one step closer to Elevate moving from an idea to a shared vision to a reality.
As my co-author, Jeremy McGeorge, so aptly punned, “This is getting progressively more exciting!”
Stay Tuned for more updates from Elevate as the project comes together.
-Jake Weld, M. Ed.