Today I set off on a hike by myself.  A sweet meditation.  The fall leaves papered the ground like a Palm Sunday pathway.

I walked in a circle.

Sometimes the sun was in front of me.  Then, I walked into the light and warmth, enjoying the glow.  The frog sang a small hello. The leaves whispered encouragement.

Upon my return, the sun was at my back.  It was uphill.  It was then, I could see my shadow, the jealousies, insecurities, and anxieties.  I could see what distracts me from the Good Grace I am called to cultivate.

Isn’t that the way life is in our communities?  One moment we are at the top of our game and the next, tormented by the brokenness.  One minute we are revered and the next, spat upon.  One minute we are heroic and the next, perpetrator.  One minute our children are achieving and the next, struggling.

Nature is undeterred.  It continues to move forward.  The leaves drop soundlessly and the mossy branches uphold their arms in beauty.

Always in a circle.  Summer ~ Fall ~ Winter ~ Spring.  Completion.

I hold the journey with reverence, yet I yearn for companions along the way.  It will take those committed to pilgrimage; those who will respectfully hold togetherness.

I’m on a retreat with Parker Palmer’s Center for Courage and Renewal.  Our Leadership Academy is meeting on Bainbridge Island, WA for its concluding sessions.

The group is comprised of 30 leaders from all over the world.  Today I sat between a Argentinian, Jewish Rabbi from the upper westside of New York City, an academic-author and member of the Maori tribe in New Zealand, and a lesbian from Tacoma doing her PhD on the sacred feminine in mythology.  I am grateful for the generous diversity.

Our work is done in a circle.

It creates an equanimity.  We are contained and can manage the powerful emotions that arise as we journey through leadership concepts and metaphors.  It is safe.

I bring to the circle our learning community at home and our global Learn Forward community.

I hold our communion with reverence.  Leaning into the centre and learning for the sake of growing together.

I think about the boys in Grade 5 and the IEPs being written.  We are both rooted and expansive, including misunderstandings around our progress.

I think about the Learn Forward community.  What needs to transform in education?  Surely not everything!  What voices should inform our first next step?  What should we deconstruct and what still serves children and community well?

The new curriculum is focused on competencies and surely that is a move in the right direction.  We are brimming over with change.  How can we handle anymore?

What I know for sure is we need a growth mindset and a long-term perspective focused on what matters most for children:  faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking.

We will walk in circles.  We will work in circles.  Sometimes we will be in the light.  Sometimes we will be in the shadow.

We will be faithful to help our children thrive.  We will hold an open heart, willing to Learn Forward.

I am grateful for the work I did in circles this weekend.  It is the Table of Learning, available to teachers, parents, and students.  Let’s do work together.

How can we each gather the courage to take a longer term perspective for the sake of children?  How can we cultivate community, both giving and receiving?

For the sake of the children,

Karine