I like your thinking on self-discovery. I also can't help but think that a Universal Basic Income would be a necessary underpinning to make that work.
It also strikes me that so much of our society and economies is still shaped by the need to prepare for wars that we no longer fight in person and we continue to wear those invisible uniforms.
I think this is huge for me too! Being and resting in the right here and right now just as it is as a mom feels selfish, as a worker feels lazy, as a lover though... as a friend or someone who loves a hot bath... there are places I agree I can get to that state of being. But it certainly for me is not simple, it's hard won and sometimes impossible to not grab my phone or go back down to my office to answer one more email or get one more sweep of the hallway and kitchen floor done so when we wake up in the morning, the ground level floor feels clean on bare feet. Sitting with uncomfortable questions is another area I totally relate to what you are exploring this week Nat. Thank you for this, the learning for the joy of learning, and not to check a box or accomplish a task. Next week I will begin my Mid Year "Performance and Learning Agreement" check ins with my colleagues to give some feedback, offer some coaching, review a couple files that in my view we could have gone deeper on, ask them to share some feedback and coaching with me too. It's only in the last year or so we call these the PLAs rather than simply the PAs. The Learning component has seemed elusive to management and leaders, like a nice to have decadence we can throw money at in the last period of our fiscal year when we have a surplus and want to ensure the big bosses keep their bonuses. I wonder if there are some different questions that I could be asking at this year's mid year check in... to float up big questions like "Why are we doing this work" or "What makes a work day a great day"... do you have any other ideas for new Learning type quesstions I could ask?
In a recent seminar with MEd students we started started asking of ourselves "why assess? why grade at all?" and there are lots of answers that come easily (to please the higher ups, to keep systems rolling)...but when we paused and considered what self-assessment would really look like - what a big question might mean in terms of changing how roles play out in whatever iteration of a "classroom" one finds oneself in...I wonder if an extension of that conversation might apply to what you're talking about here. What does it mean to lead in this team? Where does humility fit into our team's dynamic? What is your/our work story and what would make for a great next chapter?
I like your thinking on self-discovery. I also can't help but think that a Universal Basic Income would be a necessary underpinning to make that work.
It also strikes me that so much of our society and economies is still shaped by the need to prepare for wars that we no longer fight in person and we continue to wear those invisible uniforms.
Absolutely Mark. UBI is absolutely necessary, as would be so many other social overhauls. So many necessary big changes.
I think this is huge for me too! Being and resting in the right here and right now just as it is as a mom feels selfish, as a worker feels lazy, as a lover though... as a friend or someone who loves a hot bath... there are places I agree I can get to that state of being. But it certainly for me is not simple, it's hard won and sometimes impossible to not grab my phone or go back down to my office to answer one more email or get one more sweep of the hallway and kitchen floor done so when we wake up in the morning, the ground level floor feels clean on bare feet. Sitting with uncomfortable questions is another area I totally relate to what you are exploring this week Nat. Thank you for this, the learning for the joy of learning, and not to check a box or accomplish a task. Next week I will begin my Mid Year "Performance and Learning Agreement" check ins with my colleagues to give some feedback, offer some coaching, review a couple files that in my view we could have gone deeper on, ask them to share some feedback and coaching with me too. It's only in the last year or so we call these the PLAs rather than simply the PAs. The Learning component has seemed elusive to management and leaders, like a nice to have decadence we can throw money at in the last period of our fiscal year when we have a surplus and want to ensure the big bosses keep their bonuses. I wonder if there are some different questions that I could be asking at this year's mid year check in... to float up big questions like "Why are we doing this work" or "What makes a work day a great day"... do you have any other ideas for new Learning type quesstions I could ask?
In a recent seminar with MEd students we started started asking of ourselves "why assess? why grade at all?" and there are lots of answers that come easily (to please the higher ups, to keep systems rolling)...but when we paused and considered what self-assessment would really look like - what a big question might mean in terms of changing how roles play out in whatever iteration of a "classroom" one finds oneself in...I wonder if an extension of that conversation might apply to what you're talking about here. What does it mean to lead in this team? Where does humility fit into our team's dynamic? What is your/our work story and what would make for a great next chapter?
Thank you!!! This is brilliant! :) Happy Birthday to you dear Author!!!