lively learning, laughter, & love
DESCRIPTION
Winter Chronciles 2013TRANSCRIPT
Qua
ker E
duca
tion
2013
W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
A Publication of the C
HR
ON
ICL
ES
OF
Division Heads Peer Network!e job and responsibilities of a division head/principal are so diverse, and the challenges so ever present, that a division head must rely on the experience and wisdom of her/his fellow principals for guidance and support. !e Division Heads of Quaker Schools have provided me with that kind of support well before our peer networks formally started. Now the Division Heads Peer Network has ensured that this forum for sharing and threshing is ever present. Our annual gatherings, as well as the Friends Council Online Forum, have been a rich resource and a fountain of rejuvenating spirit for me in my 17 years as a middle school principal.
Scott Harrington Friends School of Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools!e Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools changed the way I think. From my perspective as an administrator at a Friends school, it can be di"cult to imagine how to use time and talents di#erently. !at is precisely what the Institute gives me: a supportive community to clear the clutter and lean into what I need to do to grow as a leader. In addition to the skill development and learning that occurred over the two years, the ongoing relationships with my cohort still help me. Whether it’s email advice or a gathering after the FCE annual meeting, I feel connected to the broader world of Quaker education through the Pony Dance Cohort! Lili Herbert
Friends School of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN)
Quaker Life in Lower and Middle SchoolsEvery time I’ve attended a Quaker Life in Lower and Middle Schools (QuLLMS) gathering, I come away with new ideas and full of renewed energy for this work. I’ve also been grateful that QuLLMS has approached the topic of how we support children’s spirituality, because at the heart of our schools is the a"rmation of each child’s spirit, the Light within them. We have extraordinary opportunities in Friends schools both to teach the whole child, and also to speak to that within them. But teachers need tools and support to explore that nurturing, and FCE provides wonderful resources. Melinda Wenner Bradley
Westtown School (West Chester, PA)
Heads Assistants Peer NetworkEach member of HAPN (Heads Assistants Peer Network) holds a unique position in our own school, and each of us brings to our gathering a slightly di#erent set of job responsibilities and talents. !at combination of unique school contexts and diversity of gifts is the basis for the sharing, learning, and bonding that we experience each year when we meet. My experience at Carolina Friends School is made richer by knowing that I’m not the only one with a job like mine, and that I can reach out to my cohort at any time for advice, perspective, and support around an issue that may be stretching me. Our gatherings are a combination of work, community building, and, of course, lots of laughter. And it has been wonderful to visit Pendle Hill, and it’s been even more exciting over the years to visit my HAPN friends at their schools and host my peers here at CFS. Nancy McGilvary
Carolina Friends School (Durham, NC)
Early Childhood Educators Peer NetworkI enjoy connecting with other teachers and having the opportunity to learn from them. One school made a pond out of a puddle at the edge of their schoolyard. It was wonderful to see how the teacher worked with students to make this happen. !is sparked the idea that I could use the pond we have at West Chester for various projects with my students. !e sharing that goes on in these meetings is extremely bene$cial, and it’s good for the mind and spirit to get out of the classroom and enjoy a day of adult communication.
Michelle Lozowski West Chester Friends School (West Chester, PA)
Re!ections from SPARC (Spirited Practice and Renewed Courage)During our retreats we were called upon to look at the varied dimensions of our lives as human beings, as teachers, and as learners and to be cognizant of the many experiences that contributed to our life’s compositions. We were invited to share teaching practices and to co-construct our SPARC experience with each other and our facilitators. Our days were $lled with opportunities for quiet, solitary contemplation, focused and thoughtful conversation, exploration through poetry and art materials, worship sharing and Meeting for Worship. Together, we grew as a learning community bound by our shared love of our teaching profession, for the children with whom we spend our days, and for the Quaker values woven into the tapestry of our individual schools. Giovonne Mary Calenda
Lincoln School (Providence, RI)
!ere’s a leadership component that’s subtle but that has de$nitely changed me — I’m more re%ective as a teacher and I also feel that my listening skills, compassion, and empathy have deepened.
Je# PorterSan Francisco Friends School (San Francisco, CA)
In Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer reminds us that, “If we want to grow as teachers, we must do something alien to academic culture: we must talk to each other about our inner lives — risky stu# in a profession that fears the personal and seeks safety in the technical, the distant, the abstract.” SPARC is that time and space to talk about the risky stu# — things like how my inner life a#ects my teaching and my relationship with my students. Even though it takes me away from the classroom, I see this as an investment, a rejuvenating connection to my teaching work.
Leslie TranAbington Friends School (Jenkintown, PA)
Lively Learning, Laughter, & LoveReflections on Friends Council Programs & Peer NetworksIn this Winter 2013 issue of Chronicles of Quaker Education, we are delighted to give our readers a window-peep into the lively learning nature of our programs and peer networks. We hope you enjoy these images. See more on www.friendscouncil.net.
Chronicles of Quaker Education U W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
Upper School Religion Teachers: The First Peer Network!e Upper School Religion Teachers Peer Network occupies a special place in the history of these gatherings, as the $rst such collegial network. !e gathering of religion teachers goes back about 30 years, when Foster Doan of Westtown School had the inspiration to bring this group together on an annual basis. FCE saw what religion teachers were doing and thought it would be great to do that for everyone — gather people who have like positions and create space for them to get together intentionally and connect around common issues and concerns.
A primary virtue of the annual gatherings is that we’re able to test our perceptions and concerns with one another, and look to other members of the group as sounding boards to evaluate our own understandings and judgments.
For example, after 9/11, there were laws enacted throughout the United States that required schools to %y the American %ag. What did Friends schools have to say about that? What wisdom might the faith, testimonies, and practices of the Religious Society of Friends o#er in this situation? How could we balance our commitment to the Peace Testimony with a recognition that we live in a potentially dangerous world? We religion teachers often found ourselves called upon to respond to these questions. At such a time, the Peer Network was an extraordinarily supportive resource, recognizing that each of our situations was speci$c to our local communities, and the vicissitudes of our particular parent and governing bodies.
Another crucial bene$t of this group has to do with pastoral care for its members. !is network provides an important source of spiritual nurture and support for us as individuals. It is so important to have a community of peers to share the joys and sorrows of this work, and to connect with one another personally, on a deep level. !e task of living into the Quaker spirit that guides our schools falls to everyone, of course. But religion teachers have a special obligation and opportunity to articulate and support the soul of our schools’ missions. I am very grateful for the space and support the Friends Council gives us to maintain connections throughout the year, and throughout the years.
Tom HoopesGeorge School (Newtown, PA)
Trustee Reflections
!e 2012 Fall Trustee U Webinar program, Generative Conversations: the Role of Con!ict in Good Governance, included three courses. !e $rst introduced the practice of the triple helix model of board governance: $duciary, strategic, and generative. !e second focused on how individual trustees could better their communication skills and how they, as a board, could interact in positive and constructive manners. In the third session, two groups of heads of school and board chairs shared their experiences with merger and strategic planning processes.
!ese courses deepened my understanding of board work in several ways. It provided both principles and case studies. !e series also included macro and micro levels of board work. !ey all emphasized the advantage of having diverse perspectives — which are sometimes sources of con%ict — and provided guidelines on how trustees and heads of schools could collaborate on seeking resolutions.
I felt the most immediate bene$t from the second course, Conversation Transformation, when I tried tips from that lecture. However, I think that the triple helix model is a useful guide and will promote this practice with my colleagues at George School and Buckingham Friends School.
Gloria Denoon, Ph.D. Trustee at George School (Newtown, PA) and
Buckingham Friends School (Lahaska, PA)
“A primary virtue of the annual gatherings is
that we’re able to test our perceptions and concerns
with one another, and look to other members
of the group as sounding boards to evaluate
our own understandings and judgments.”
NEWS OF GIVING AND SUPPORT
Sustaining the Spirit with Michi Tashjian
Michi was deeply involved with Friends education for more than 30 years, starting with the enrollment of her children at Friends’ Central School. Eleven years ago, she retired from the Friends Council Board and from 28 years of service at Friends’ Central School. We asked Michi why she continues to be a loyal supporter of Friends Council’s annual fund. Here is her spirited response.
It is easy to support an organization that keeps growing in impact but remains focused on the mission. I have been especially impressed with the direction of the Council’s programs under the leadership of Irene McHenry. She has brought the Council and, by extension, Friends education into the 21st century. While supporting existing Friends schools to maintain their Quaker roots, the Council has creatively formed pathways for new Friends schools to develop.
Programs and services have been created in response to some challenging but necessary questions. How can Friends values become more deeply embedded in the life of our schools? How will we support and develop new leadership in Quaker schools? How are our schools dealing with issues of diversity?& How can the Council assist in bringing Friends education and Quaker schools into national prominence as examples of values-based learning? Friends Council’s programs manage to keep these questions at the forefront.
!e Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools, the SPARC program, the governance work with school boards — these are all ways that the Council has impacted our schools and Friends educators for today and the future. I served on the board of Friends Council on Education at various times dating way back to Bert Mason’s time as executive director. He was a wonderful head who exempli$ed the best in Quaker education. !at same spirit and energy is being carried on today.
I am a private person and usually don’t make public statements like this. But for Friends Council on Education, I am making an exception. I want to get the word out there: Support Friends Council!
Gloria Denoon and her son Derek
Within the Friends Council on Education membership, a Peer Network is a web of people connected through sharing similar professional identities, circumstances, or contexts. The networks provide trusted and relevant information, advice, and support. We have two primary structures in which peer networks function — an online forum and an annual gathering.
1. Peer Network Online Forum: www.friendscouncil.net — the online forum for Friends schools, colleges, and Friends Council a!liate members.
With 1,232 members and growing, Friendscouncil.net is a publicly accessible site with approved access for current and former Friends school and college trustees, teachers, administrators, and program participants. It is used for social networking, dialogue, and resource sharing across Friends education.
2. Peer Network Gatherings
Peer network gatherings support personal and professional growth, and leadership development. High-value peer networks embrace diversity and inclusion without losing a sense of shared identity. !ey provide opportunities to lead, listen, and problem-solve in a safe environment where peers can speak openly and honestly with each other. Peer network programs recognize the value of educators learning from each other as much as from outside experts.
Friends Council encourages Peer Network gatherings through support with planning and facilitating communication of information and events via web and e-mail.
To create a new Peer Network program, one or two people volunteer a year in advance as clerks to plan and facilitate a peer network gathering. With support of Friends Council sta#, they plan an agenda around topics of mutual concern to the group. Each Peer Network is di#erent, and the clerks help to shape the uniqueness of each event. Peer networks usually choose to meet annually according to the needs, interests, and energy level of group members. Some groups choose to have a “fallow year” until refreshed leadership from the group emerges to carry it forward.
Joining an existing Peer Network is as easy as checking out the information on www.friendscouncil.org, and registering for an event. You can also register to participate in online discussions at www.friendscouncil.net.
What Is a Peer Network?
w w w. f r i e n d s c o u n c i l . o r g
Our mission is to communicate Quaker experience in order to connect and deepen
spiritual lives.
www.friendsjournal.org
spiritual lives.
Enrich your
Quaker teaching
with our stories
and resources!
In 2011 and 2009 I attended the Friends Environmental Education Network (FEEN) conferences at !e William Penn Charter School and Sandy Springs School. !e smart, vibrant group of educators in attendance represented a wealth of strategies and programs to incorporate education for sustainability into our curricula and school operations, and provided a motivational shot in the arm.
As we toured each school and shared the outline of our various sustainability programs, one fascinating topic that emerged was how the Quaker testimonies are inextricably connected. Our schools have become complex places, providing more and more “bells and whistles” in our e#orts to keep up with technological changes, and more programs to satisfy the demands of a consumer culture. How do we square those demands with our Quaker values? How do we make explicit connections in our teaching among all the Friends testimonies that are essential to the education we o#er as Friends schools?
I left each conference feeling validated in everything we are doing at Westtown and inspired to go the next mile in our work to create a truly sustainable institution, graduating students of vision who will always be stewards of the resources on which all life depends.
Judy AsselinWesttown School (West Chester, PA)
"e next FEEN conference will be held at Westtown School from May 2 – 3. For more details, please check the Friends Council website at www.friendscouncil.org.
When FEEN (Friends Environmental Education Network) began almost 15 years ago, few of us knew it would grow into such a dynamic entity. We have become a close group of friends who gather each year to learn about best practices in environmental stewardship, share and celebrate our accomplishments in “greening” our schools and enlightening our students, and $nally, cheer each other on in this sometimes frustrating work.
Our mission statement persuasively argues that environmental education and stewardship are at the heart of a good Quaker education. We believe that focusing on these concerns should not be the work of just the passionate few in our midst, but the ongoing responsibility of each school community.
What is truly heartening is how much progress our schools have collectively made — from green buildings to school gardens, from composting systems to sustainable food practices, from environmental action clubs to student-led initiatives. !ere is so much more to be done, but each year, the FEEN gathering nurtures us, sustains us, re-energizes us, and educates us. !ank you Friends Council for your support!
Geo#rey SellingGermantown Friends School (Philadelphia, PA)
FEEN: Promoting Environmental Education and Stewardship
Join the
on the
FRIENDS COUNCIL’S online forum,
www.friendscouncil.net
CONVERSATION
CHRONICLES OF
Quaker Education
2013WINTER
1507 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 215.241.7245 [email protected] www.friendscouncil.org
Re!e
ction
sFa
ith
and
Hop
e in
the
Fac
e of
Tra
gedy
Do
not b
e dau
nted
by t
he en
orm
ity o
f the
wor
ld’s
grief
. Do
justl
y, no
w.
Love
mer
cy, n
ow. W
alk
hum
bly,
now.
You
are
not
obl
igat
ed to
com
plet
e the
wor
k,
but n
eithe
r are
you
free t
o ab
ando
n it.
— !
e Talm
ud
I orig
inall
y plan
ned
to fo
cus m
y re"
ectio
ns
on th
is iss
ue’s
them
e of F
riend
s Cou
ncil
prog
ram
s and
pee
r netw
orks
. But
then
ca
me n
ews o
f the
trag
ic sc
hool
shoo
tings
in
New
town
, Con
necti
cut,
and
I kne
w th
at I
want
ed to
dev
ote t
his s
pace
to ad
dres
sing
how
we, a
s Qua
kers
and
thos
e who
serv
e at
Qua
ker i
nstit
utio
ns, r
espo
nd to
an ac
t of
such
enor
mou
s vio
lence
.
Frien
ds sc
hool
s are
carin
g, re
"ecti
ve,
resil
ient c
omm
uniti
es. A
fter t
he tr
aged
y in
Conn
ectic
ut, F
riend
s Cou
ncil
shar
ed le
tters
from
hea
ds o
f sch
ools
to th
eir co
mm
uniti
es.
Read
ing t
hese
, I w
as d
eepl
y mov
ed b
y th
e exp
ressi
ons o
f rea
ssura
nce,
faith
, ho
pe an
d in
tentio
nal a
ction
. I’m
shar
ing
a few
exce
rpts
here
to m
otiva
te us
all,
as
we ca
re fo
r one
anot
her a
nd ta
ke ac
tion
that
cont
ribut
es to
the e
ase o
f su#
erin
g, re
ducti
on o
f vio
lence
, and
incr
ease
d hu
man
sa
fety a
nd d
ignity
in o
ur w
orld
.
W W
e valu
e the
stren
gth of
our h
ighly
relat
ional
com
mun
ity, w
here
we b
oth
form
ally a
nd in
form
ally a
ttend
to th
e em
otion
al we
ll-be
ing a
nd m
enta
l hea
lth
of ou
r stu
dent
s and
othe
r com
mun
ity
mem
bers
on a
day-t
o-da
y bas
is. .
. . M
ay
we u
se th
ose re
source
s of i
nner
stren
gth, o
f co
urag
e, ho
pe an
d lov
e to h
old th
ose w
ho
have
su"e
red so
in th
e Ligh
t and
to ca
re wi
th h
eight
ened
sens
itivi
ty for
each
othe
r. At
tim
es lik
e the
se, w
e are
remin
ded
of wh
at is
most
impo
rtant
in ou
r live
s and
ca
n res
pond
by l
ivin
g with
rene
wed
purp
ose
and
clarit
y.
W W
e mus
t as a
socie
ty an
d as
a sch
ool f
ocus
on
hop
e. . .
. I b
eliev
e our
stud
ents,
like
all
peop
le, fa
ce th
eir ow
n pe
rsona
l cha
lleng
es be
tter w
hen
their
hop
e ove
rcom
es th
eir fe
ar.
. . . W
e as a
scho
ol co
mm
unity
rem
embe
r th
at ou
r chi
ldren
are s
pecia
l keep
ers of
ligh
t in
these
dar
k day
s.
W W
e held
a Ca
ndlel
ight P
eace
Vigil
in th
e m
eetin
ghou
se. .
. . W
e reco
gnize
d th
at th
e see
ds of
viole
nce,
desp
air,
and
hate
exist
in
all of
us,
just
as th
e seed
s of u
nders
tand
ing,
love,
joy an
d for
given
ess ex
ist. W
e spo
ke of
cre
atin
g a w
orld
that
grow
s lov
ing a
nd sa
fe en
viro
nmen
ts. W
e spo
ke fo
r the
need
for u
s as
indi
vidu
als to
take
actio
n. W
e agr
eed
that
ever
yone
has
to pa
rticip
ate i
n th
is wo
rk.
W If
we w
ant t
o pro
vide
a res
pons
ible
mod
el for
our c
hild
ren, a
nd pe
rhap
s for
our
leade
rs in
Was
hing
ton, w
e can
beg
in
by tr
ying t
o mov
e bey
ond
the p
olariz
ed
polit
ical d
iscus
sions
that
mar
k our
mom
ent;
we ca
n en
gage
in op
en an
d ho
nest
dialo
gue
and
in th
e spi
rit of
und
ersta
ndin
g and
co
mpr
omise
. . .
. We c
an pa
rticip
ate i
n an
d su
stain
the p
ublic
deb
ates
abou
t gun
vi
olenc
e and
men
tal h
ealth
. . .
. W
e can
dra
w on
our w
isdom
and
faith
tra
ditio
ns fo
r stre
ngth
and
insp
iratio
n.
And
we ca
n rem
embe
r tha
t eve
ry d
ay is
pr
eciou
s and
that
we s
houl
d ch
erish
wh
at w
e hav
e.
!er
e is a
cons
isten
cy in
the m
essa
ge fr
om
the s
choo
ls th
at sp
eaks
to th
e hea
rt of
Fr
iends
educ
atio
n. !
ese s
choo
ls ge
nera
te
mul
tiple
poin
ts of
Ligh
t tha
t pow
erfu
lly
radi
ate c
once
rn an
d ho
pe, c
are a
nd tr
uth-
seek
ing f
or th
e ben
e$t o
f all
child
ren,
all
peop
le. W
e mus
t con
tinue
to am
plify
the
good
ness
in th
e wor
ld, t
he go
odne
ss wi
thin
ea
ch p
erso
n, w
hile
taki
ng m
eani
ngfu
l ac
tions
to b
uild
a ju
st an
d pe
acefu
l wor
ld.
Iren
e McH
enry
, Exe
cutiv
e Dire
ctor
Non-Pro$t Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDPhiladelphia, PAPermit No. 248
Reflections on Friends Council Programs & Peer Networks
2013 Friends Council on Education Workshops & PN Gatherings Calendar
WorkshopsEducators New to Quakerism, Pendle Hill. !ree separate o"erings in 2013: February 7 – 8; March 7 – 8; May 2 – 3
Peer Network Events and Heads GatheringAdmissions Peer Network, May 17, 2013, Friends CenterDevelopment & Public Relations Joint Peer Network, March 4, 2013, Friends CenterDiversity Peer Network, February 1, 2013, Friends CenterEarly Childhood Educators, April 19 – 20, 2013, Abington Friends SchoolFriends Environmental Educators Network (FEEN), May 2 – 3, 2013, Westtown SchoolLibrarians Peer Network, February 25, 2013, Germantown Friends SchoolQuaker Youth Leadership Conference, February 7 – 9, 2013, Sidwell Friends SchoolService Learning Peer Network, March 11, 2013, Friends’ Central School
REGISTER NOW! On our streamlined website: www.friendscouncil.org
Follow governance conversations on the new Trustee U blog: www.trusteeu.blogspot.com
Welcome to the Quaker School Voices Blog: quakerschoolvoices.blogspot.com
A collaboration of Friends Council
on Education and the
Nobis Project