Currents
Thriving in Community
COMMUNITY as a LIFELINE
The Artful Teaching cohort was a diverse mix of new teachers, mid-career, and experienced mentors at all grade levels and subject areas. Despite these differences, there was a strong sense of community and shared purpose within the group as they learned about and tried new approaches to teaching together. Many found this to be a lifeline that kept them afloat as they either solidified or reinvigorated their professional practice while meeting their core human need for belonging.
ALIGNING CORE BELIEFS
“I think one of the reasons why Artful Teaching worked so well for me is that it was at the deep root of my philosophy, which is: student voice, giving lots of student choice, giving lots of different ways for students to show what they know, encouraging a community of support and encouraging movement. I felt like it was this comfortable, happy flow where it’s just like, oh, man, this feels right.”
“The whole experience of being on this river with Artful Teaching – there hasn’t been a moment where it didn’t just somehow or another make sense to me, you know?… It gives me a lens and a way to facilitate kids and say, like Grandpa David (Tlingit Elder and culture bearer Kingeistí David Katzeek) would say all the time: you are precious and you are intelligent.”
REFLECTION EDDIES
Where is the space in your context where teachers’ values and beliefs are surfaced and supported?