I spent this weekend in the mountains. 8,000 ft. elevation and some change. In this beautiful retreat center for educators, Lone Rock, near Bailey, Colorado. I was
fortunate enough to have been invited by the National Microschooling Center to join a group of fellow microschool leaders to discuss “Measuring Impact.” I was also asked to give a Spark talk while we were there.
It was a beautiful experience. The setting was breathtaking and the community inspiring. Now, a Spark talk is a short focused talk on a specific topic. You have three minutes to share your idea/work with the audience, then another person steps up for their talk. After three of us had gone, we all stood up and answered questions for eight minutes max. I had my doubts; I am a bit of a talker. Yet, this practice was refreshing and invigorating. Through this practice, we were able to hear from so many voices in a relatively short time — one full day and two short days.
At one point, we had a fifteen minute break. I took my coffee and stepped outside. The mountains were snowy but not overly so, patches here and there. I walked down a little ways and just listened to the wind blowing through the trees. I had gotten a little overheated so I was out there in just my T-shirt and trousers — no jacket or hat. And it felt so wonderful. Brisk and blowy. The aspen trees were singing like the waves upon the ocean.
I started to go up to the center and heard a great gust approaching. I thought, “This is going to be intense, but I won’t make it to the door in time.” I stood and waited for it to hit. And it was massive, pieces of tree came flying at me, pine needles and detritus. It was a shock, but not a negative one. I slowly turned and put my back to the wind storm. It continued to blow around me with pieces of nature hitting my back. I stood there until it had died down, took a sip of my coffee, and went on my way.
When I reached the door, one of my colleagues was there waiting for me. She said, “That was incredible! We were all just watching you from the windows, and you just turned, cool as a cat.” We laughed and chatted about it for a few minutes then went back to the seminar rooms. As we went, I was absolutely delighted to have been witnessed in a moment of peaceful exhilaration. I had thought I was out there alone in the wind. But I am not.
The joy of these gatherings and conferences and, yes, even Zooms, is priceless. To know that you have a support system of love-minded people working toward a long overdue transformation in education is so needed. It is good to find your people. Many of us, educators and founders, often feel adrift; that we alone have to solve every aspect of the problem, or somehow we have failed. It is essential to be reminded that we have a wealth of knowledge to share with each other. That one person’s weak area is another’s specialty and both are willing to collaborate — it is the heart of community building. And as always, to begin to understand this, sometimes, you have to go up to the mountain and listen to the wind.
This is wonderful!