Facing Fears

We began our Summer Leadership Retreat at the Coral Crater Adventure Tower and literally faced down our fears and took great leaps of faith.  The Tower is an intimidating 65 ft high structure with 18 obstacles to overcome.  Although we were harnessed in, we needed to move the harness ourselves and unhook and rehook the gear often.  We crossed various unstable, uneven bridges, swung on ropes like Tarzan, and jumped across platforms. It was terrifying.  But, it was also amazing to share in that fear and support each other through it.

Everyone needed encouragement and everyone stepped up to provide it.  There were moments when we were paralyzed with fear, afraid to go on, unsure that the risk would pay off and in those moments, our teammates supported us.  Sometimes the support was physical, offering a hand or pulling each other up on a platform.  But more often, it was the words: the reminder that we were safe, the steadfast belief that we could do it.  In fact, one of the most powerful and transformative moments came when one teacher, who had been struggling, finished an obstacle and then immediately turned around and began supporting another team member.  She did not even catch her breath-the cycle of support continued instinctively.  The words, the energy, the challenge, the triumph: these are the things that bonded the Teacher Leadership Cadre.

In our summer reading book, Daring Greatly, Brene Brown encourages her readers to face shame, which in our case was manifesting as fear, by acknowledging the feeling, finding support, working through the feelings, and pushing through.  This is exactly what we did on the ropes course and what I hope we continue to do as we take the risk of organizing meaningful, inspiring Professional Development this school year.  As we go through this year, my hope is that when we face difficult situations we can acknowledge our feelings, and look to each other for support, just as we did today.

After the Adventure Tower, we continued to get to know each other on a more personal basis.  We did an activity where we worked in groups to organize a Dream Trip Itinerary that every member of the group must agree on.  Then, we used that as a frame to discuss our values and planning styles.  The key takeaways from this activity were that everyone in the group started planning with their values in mind, which was a really powerful aha.  We also noted that the planning was successful because we worked from a place of 'and' instead of a place of 'but'-we worked to include everyone's ideas.  And, the final takeaway that will guide our planning norms was that everyone was flexible-no one was stuck in their own way of thinking, we all were open to each other's ideas.

We concluded the day with 2 minute speeches about topics chosen randomly.  Mine was pretty simple-describe a first day of school or work, but some were much deeper.  Taking the time to listen to each others' stories and learn about what made us who we are today led us to understand each our personal histories and connect in ways that had nothing to do with school or work.  And, it is this type of connection that matters most.

So, Day 1 of the Teacher Leadership Cadre Summer Retreat was a success-multiple people told me it was a life changing experience, and I believe at the very least, we have proven that we are there for each other and have laid the foundation of trust.