Category Archives: Teachers

The Art of Convening: Authentic Engagement in Meetings, Gatherings and Conversations

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Art of Convening

Today I read the book written by Craig and Patricia Neal with Cynthia Wold, called The Art of Convening: Authentic Engagement in Meetings, Gatherings, and Conversations. I have wanted to read this book for many reasons, one of which is that I feel that the facilitation of groups is a skill that needs purposeful practice and reflection in order to become better at creating meaningful relationships that move systems forward to action. Another reason is that Craig and Patricia are better known in our home as “Bop and Nana”, as they are the grandparents of my boys’ best friends.

It is interesting when you read a person’s work, versus just talking to them about what they do. I found that when I first posted on my blog, many people commented to me about how they never knew what the degree of my passion or experience within schools was – despite knowing me for a long time. There were not occasions to discuss it to that degree, and reading on my blog brought them to a new understanding of what I do and why I do it. Continue reading →

A Report from the Community Meeting!

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From Dan Habib's Including Samuel

From Dan Habib's "Including Samuel"

Last week I held a community meeting to discuss inclusive practices in neighborhood schools. I announced it on various schools’ websites, sent out emails, posted on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog, and generally tried to get the word out.

It resulted in a small, yet very important, group attending for the conversation. In attendance were parents, both of kids with and without identified disabilities; attorneys whose work focuses on special education law and parents rights; the director of special education for the Minnesota Department of Education; teachers; and community members. Continue reading →

Differentiation Part 2 and a Community Meeting Announcement

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Photo by Dan Habib – from the fantastic “Including Samuel” Documentary

My last post about differentiation two weeks ago was short and sweet. From that post, there were many comments from parents about what is happening in their school, for their son or daughter. I would like to use those comments as a spring board for this post. Thank you, in advance, for your stories and insight. Continue reading →