At the start of the year I made a list chronicling what worked and what didn’t in 2022. I spent significantly more time focusing on what worked, because admittedly the list was surprisingly long. I didn’t expect that. But then again, I didn’t expect this simple exercise to turn into a gratitude practice that now I’ve returned to each week of 2023. In the spirit of naming what’s working for me right now, I had an extraordinary experience in Durham worth celebrating.

I’ll begin by saying that I don’t usually work on weekends. Actually I never work on weekends. It’s a part of a long standing commitment I’ve made to myself to practice restorative rest and relaxation (something else that’s working when I let it!). But, when a friend invited me to lead a visioneering session for her school board, I immediately accepted. I knew I wouldn’t regret the decision. Besides, one key element of what’s working for me in 2023 is saying YES to organizing opportunities that are aligned to my passions, where I get to do good work with people I care about. This checked all those boxes.

We spent the day reimagining education through a liberatory lens, one of my favorite pastimes, particularly with like minded thought leaders. I’ve written numerous times about my educational journey, both as a practitioner and a parent. I’m constantly exploring how the way we view the purpose of education influences the type of educational experiences we pursue (or settle for). I lead their board in exercises that would ultimately help them align on a reimagined approach to schooling. While they’ve still got plenty of work to do in order transform schooling as they know it into the type of student driven educational experience they aspire to, there’s a newly lit flame.

As I boarded the plane headed home at the end of the day, I was spent, but in a good way. I’d left it all out on the field. It’s truly a beautiful thing to find yourself in your element, at the intersection of your strengths, passions, and what’s good for the world. I’m looking forward to creating more experiences like this in 2023.

SDW3