“Are you with me now?” AJ Ryder
Met visit – I spent two days at the Met in Providence with Kapua and Anuhea from Namahana School. Before their Met visit Kapua was with Sonn on a Guided Experience at BPL Lafayette. From our talk it was a great way to start the week and continue to learn through reflections of Kapua and Anuhea as they join BPL and ‘Āina. At The Met, we spent lots of time on all aspects of the work. Staff and students were incredible with their time, sharing quality experiences and being vulnerable about what is and isn’t working. For me, there were lots of new structures in place that supported the work of advisors and students especially, coming out of COVID. At times, when I met with David, Janet, Jody, Nancy, Andrew, Tracy and others it felt like I was Rip Van Winkle waking up to changes as twenty plus years had gone by and our growth called for new ways and structures. The great news was most of the changes were about keeping a sense of place that is personal and focused on each and every student and their interests while making sure adults in the community were also treated with respect.
I loved my visit.
Four Books about BPL
In the last eight months four books have come out about our work. For a variety of good reasons, I’m probably the only person alive who has read all four of them but I surely won’t be the last. When I look at each book with a very broad stroke each takes on a different approach to our work:
Finding Your Leadership Soul – Leadership – Love, Care and Vulnerability
Learning to Leave – Real-world learning – New Ways, New Forms, New Measures
Live to See the Day – Policy changes
Parenting from the Passenger’s Seat – Family and community as the heart and soul.
I know many will read one or two of or maybe even all of them but reading them together as a series I believe will reveal a through line that has yet to be unearthed.
Why did so many books come out about our work now? How intentional or incidental was this moment in time and what does that all mean? How is the whole greater than the parts or is it?
Is anyone interested in participating in a book series discussion taking them as a whole to delve into the messiness of this fine mess of books and see what we discover? Let me know.
Apgar
Our Apgar meeting on Thursday continued to bring our small group closer and closer together on how to use the five Apgar’s we have developed. This time, our big breakthrough was using observation - SEE, FEEL and HEAR as ways to use the Apgars. Next meeting is December 14 at 2 PST.
At the Leadership Conference in Philie, I’m looking forward to mingling with and muddling through the things that matter to us. Andrea and I will be doing an IBPLC pre-conference and for one night only, I’m doing a Comedy of the Absurd on Education - El After Dark. Please, bring your absurdities.
Enjoy!
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