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--Frank J. Barrett, Yes to the Mess

The first of these self-study efforts, AIM (Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism), is well under way and has already stimulated some constructive and fascinating conversations and insights about Headwaters. I'm grateful to all who have participated.

 

If these processes sound like a lot of effort and coordination; they are. And it's important to note how valuable these processes are at this moment in the school's growth and life cycle (by the way, it's a developmentally appropriate behavior for an adolescent). With the community's participation and insights, we will use these opportunities for reflection to help usidentify all that we do well and where we can improve.

 

To that end, I have been collecting my own observations about what makes us US, and, for the remainder of the year, I'll use this column to share those with you. Keep an eye out for guest writers in this space or for excerpts of conversations with guides and students.

 

One of our most distinguishing features is our culture, and that culture exists because we're teacher-founded and teacher-grounded. Unlike every other school where I have worked, Headwaters, and its progenitors (Primavera Montessori and Khabele), were imagined, begun, and birthed by teachers. In the world of K-12 schools, our genesis is highly unusual. Many K-12 schools were founded in collaboration with a church or by a group of parents, and those beginnings have built some amazing institutions. The circumstances around our founding set the tone for our relationships with students - they are respectful, real, and first-name. At a recent orientation of the Board of Trustees, Jen Phillips (co-founder of Primavera) and Lisa Dubuque (co-founder of Khabele) reminded usthat both schools set out to establish authentic and caring student-teacher relationships and make it the center of all we do. Our DNA is rooted in the idealism of the early days of both schools.

One last note about our DNA and our history... Halloween signals our school's birthday! I, for one, couldn't think of a better birthday for Headwaters. Given our deep commitment to cultivating identity formation and the imagination and creativity that comes with comes with dressing up (especially see Heroes of the Past on the Creek Campus), in a way we're supporting our kids in all the people they could become.

Please write to me at t.graf@headwaters.org if you have a response to What makes us US?

*Below is a list of the self-studies already begun: