Broken rings?
Is this really the time to see ourselves as isolated or is it time acknowledge that we are more alike than we are different?
5 things I am giving in the time of crisis
We aren’t in the same boat but we are in the same storm. Leaders make bold claims of how we will learn from the crisis, rebuild in a better way to safeguard against a next time. It is abundantly clear that countries and individuals respond differently when crisis comes. Like the response to abuse or trauma, we can see fight, flight and freeze in action right now, in people and nations.
At this very moment in time, we are seeing a retreat into national and state boarders, with no end in sight. Symbols of unification like the Olympic rings literally being pulled a part. More than just a message for physical distancing or the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games, the breaking of the rings speaks the story of difference and separation.
Is this really the time to see ourselves as isolated or is it time acknowledge that we are more alike than we are different?
Positioning ourselves within our shared humanity is one of the most important things we can do right now. Ernest Boyer gave the world of education the framing of what we all have in common regardless of race, religion, culture, gender, socioeconomic status or geographic location.
The Human Commonalities:
- All of us experience cycles of life.
- All of us develop symbols.
- All of us respond to the aesthetic.
- All of us have the capacity to recall the past and anticipate the future.
- All of us develop some forms of social bonding.
- All of us are connected to the ecology of the planet.
- All of us produce and consume.
- All of us seek meaning and purpose.
(Boyer, 1995 cited in Caber, 2009 p. 48)
As an IB educator, these commonalities are part of my every day. The Transdisciplinary themes and Global Contexts are grounded in these commonalities and are deeply connected to the mission of the International Baccalaureate. I am, like Boyer,
“drawn back to questions that have, for generations, perplexed educators and philosophers and parents. What is an educated person? What should schools be teaching students?” (Boyer, 1995)
Our commonalities and desire to ever improve education, is why I have always worked hard to find my people wherever I go. As an Australian Italian woman married to a Canadian Lebanese man, breaking the rings of our togetherness is painfully hard but it is my call to action to stay connected and work together.
I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to play out the togetherness through multiple projects and groups. From the virtual classroom in Mozambique to the island of Bonaire to connections in countless other countries, I’d like to tell you my story.
Finding your tribe in a digital world is not without its challenges yet so very possible with a little effort. What is to follow is not a pitch for you to go find my tribe, rather an insight into the ways I have stayed connected, built community, offered a helping hand, found my bliss and yes, made a living. Maybe my people are your people too or the tools and strategies I employed offer you the inspiration to go out and find your tribe. Here are 5 things I am able give from home.
The giving of time: Volunteer
As much as we all need to make a living now and always, the giving of time is a gift I am trying to prioritise. Sometimes it’s paid and other times it is a gift. Two passion projects that have bubbled away over the past few months have been with the Aga Khan School in Maputo and an active facebook group, Bonaire Future Forum: Opportunity from Crisis.
As a HundrED Ambassador, I’ve also tried to be open to helping the community as the need arrises and from home. These opportunities have allowed me to offer assistance using my superpowers. While my intent with these initiatives is to help others, it is not without personal reward of the intrinsic kind.
The giving of experience: Toddle
Toddle is the definition of togetherness- ‘your teaching partner’. I have been connected to the Toddle family for a few months now. Learning about the Toddle through a dear friend and fellow educator, I was immediately drawn to the beauty in its simplicity. Every aspect of the Toddle platform has truly listened to the pains and needs of progressive schools and teachers. Meeting their needs so empathetically, it is so much more than a Learning Management System. Behind this aesthetically pleasing platform, are some of the kindest and most passionate educators. It made Toddle all the more beautiful to know that those driving its growth and global adoption, like me, live the IB learner profile in all that they do.
In these uncertain times, the Toddle team will not shy away from how to continue to be ‘your teaching partner’ rather they have run full force into meeting needs. Behind the scenes, the team have worked tirelessly to not just respond to crisis but amplify the good we can do through education. This weekend will be the inaugural Toddle Inquiry Educator Summit (TIES) bringing together over 10, 000 educators from all over the world with some of the greatest thought leaders in education to really push forward to reimagine teaching and learning beyond our immediate state of crisis.
Look out for a new section of the platform, Toddle Community to be launched in the coming days… It will be a place to connect and be inspired by other educators. Being a reflective teacher means we know how to spot ideas that work for our learners and units of inquiry. The Community is designed to help educators develop the most engaging, significant, challenging and relevant learning experience for their context.
The giving of voice: Link Online Learners
Out of the ashes, Link Online Learners (LOL for short), is a grassroots movement literally born out of crisis, with a passionate group of educators and youth saw a need. As schools and teachers scramble to move ‘school’ online, LOL has taken to connect youth in a social, passion driven forum. More like an after school club than a classroom, LOL is 100% learner driven but with the care of vetted educators who are more than happy to step back and let the learners lead.
Over the course of the global shut down, this group has come together in a way that may not have been possible had we not all been shut in our houses. What has been developed, molded and evolved is something spectacular to be a part of. Over the course of 24-ish hours, 4 live sessions are held via Zoom bringing in over 350 participants from 35 countries.
The sessions I have had the privilege to be part of have included a live tour of a Viking ship, an exploration into happiness, a live global band, a monologue and my personal favourite, the LOL global myth busters podcast. I am in awe of those who created the LOL initiative and even more impressed with the learners, who in their own time are researching, creating and living in a very connected global community. Look out for the first podcast through social media channels!
The giving of change: NoTosh
For the past two years I have been honoured to be part of the NoTosh team. Working with schools and organisations around the world to change the way we think, learn and work. Since the dawn of the global pandemic, I have been grateful for the existing way of working from home while connecting globally.
A blessing, the projects I have been working on with The Ottawa Jewish Community School, Aspengrove School and Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) were all largely online prior to the crisis. Without a major disruption in our way of working (but disruption in every other aspect of life), we have by and large continued ‘business as usual’. Having established the use of such tools as regular Zoom calls for coaching and Trello boards to manage strategic projects the schools have been able to maintain momentum in our work.
CAIS as an organisation has experience as a virtual team so have also been able to progress without earth shattering disruption to best serve their schools across Canada. Working with the Boarding Schools, in the past two months we have moved what would have been a weekend Boarding Summit into a four part virtual experience. Each week we have met via Zoom to explore the themes of disruption, understanding parent mindsets, recruitment through storytelling and this week we culminate pushing towards a domestic boarding strategy. Using breakout rooms we have facilitated action driven dialogue to help schools not just limp through triage but begin to look to the future of boarding schools in Canada.
The giving of network: International Baccalaureate
Last but by no means least, my first family, the IB. As a graduating teacher, I started my journey in an IB school and haven’t looked back. Without really knowing what schools are like without the scaffold of an international framework, I have ALWAYS found my friends in IB circles. From schools across the world and later with fellow IB Educator Network members (IBEN), some of the best things in my personal and professional life have come from being connected to the IB.
Currently, this connection is lived out through running an online session of Building for the Future with an awesome group of Primary Years Programme (PYP) leaders and educators. With my fellow facilitator in Colorado and participants across no less than 15 countries and 8 time zones, we have begun the epic Hero’s Journey to re-envision the PYP in schools.
We are working across 7 digital platforms (email, Moodle, G suite, Zoom, Mural, GooseChase and Padlet) to learn and grow together. Offering synchronous office hours and live group sessions and asynchronous engagements, it is inspiring to be be part of. Here’s a taste of what we are work on in Mural. From a loosely structured digital project nest to synthesized data we will use to plan next steps and build action plans.
So for me, the rings aren’t broken. I am trying every day to connect the dots across the map to build and maintain my tribe. Our shared humanity is all we really have in our current state of alone together.
This is my patchwork quilt of life. It brings me joy.
What’s yours?
With thanks to my tribe all over the world and,
Boyer, E. (1995) ‘The Educated Person’ cited at, http://www.ibmidatlantic.org/Educated-Person.pdf
Caber, S. (2009) ‘What should students learn?’ in Taking the PYP Forward: The future of the IB Primary Years Programme, Davidson, S. & Carber, S. (eds)
