Whip Around: It's April!

[Jess Marker]

Hey gang!

Wow- it's April already! And here in California, Spring has sprung!  I LOVE this time of year - for many reasons, but mostly hearing birds, seeing trees and flowers bloom all helps me to appreciate this beautiful world we live in just a little bit more and reinvent myself a new with added appreciation for the beauty we inherit from our world. 

I want to send a two part whip this week - 1) How was your Passover and Passover Seder? I'm so excited/curious to hear how they all went/what you enjoyed/was challenged by/if you would do it again- and attach pictures if you have them! 2) In the spirit of garnering momentum around our theories of change, as we'll be beginning to act on them in the coming months and April's call will all be around creating action and change through your theory, I wanted to push us out of our own comfort zones and get us to do some more exploration around our theories and how/where they are playing out currently in our world today (thanks to Jesse for the wonderful push/idea).  So, you challenge for this week is: find an article or piece of literature or interview (someone) that speaks to the cause you are identifying working on (seeing the challenge through something or someone else's lens) and send it out to the group with your thoughts/reactions/what it makes you want to do/what you have learned.

I can't wait to hear reflections and what you all come up with.  And, in the spirit of new beginnings, let's try to get back to our norms of responding to our weekly whips within 48 hours of the send date (this week by Saturday so you all have enough time to explore artifacts to send).

So much love,

Jess :)

[Jesse Fetbroth]

Hello everyone!

I hope your April is off to a fabulous start.

Because I was in Paree during Passover, my seder hasn't happened yet, but I promise to send pictures when it does!

Now on to my Theory of Change.  Jess and Candace got a little sneak peek into the unravelling of my original Theory of Change, so I'll catch the rest of you up.  As you may recall, I had planned to use my pending relocation to Boston as an opportunity to learn about what it really means to become a new member of a community.  I was pretty in love with this idea, but it has now been put on the back burner as it's looking unlikely that I will be moving to Boston either at all or in the way I had anticipated (another story for another day).

So, I've been throwing around a few other ideas, and one that got lots of over-the-phone head-nodding from Jess is one that I feel pretty strongly about, but also feel VERY lost about, so I'm anxious to hear what you all think.

In the past couple of years, I've seen so many smart, hardworking, passionate, driven people (and I'm not sure yet if "people" refers to 20-somethings, Teach For America people, REALITY people..) be so consumed with their inability to figure out what they want to do with their life (their role in the social justice movement, etc.) that they end up doing nothing.  Obviously I don't mean nothing-- I just mean that I meet so many incredibly talented people who are currently in positions they aren't passionate about, but they're so afraid to make a move into something different because they're afraid it'll be the wrong one.  They're so obsessed (for lack of a better term) with figuring out their role in the world, "this work," and so on that they end up sort of running in place-- not moving forward, or in any direction, really.  I think most people know this as the "quarter life crisis."  It's certainly not a new phenomenon, and perhaps to some it doesn't seem like a very pressing issue.  However, I can't help but think about what would happen if these people used all of the energy they spend trying to figure things out to just do something they feel strongly about, even if it's not THE thing.  I just feel like we (yes, I do count myself in this group) lose time trying to figure things, and we end up doing more thinking, stressing, agonizing then actually doing.  

I think it's safe to say we all know people who fall into these categories-- this is why the "quarter life crisis" table during open space at the last reunion was the biggest, why Teach For America has begun having "What's Next?" conversations with its corps members, and why the Huffington Post has it's own page in the college section titled "Quarter Life Crisis" (in my defense, I did not know about this before I started doing some research).  I know it's something that happens among a lot of twenty-somethings, but it's something I've seen even more frequently in the Teach For America and REALITY communities.  

Here's the problem: while I know this is a "problem" (though my data is pretty much all quantitative), I'm not sure what the actual problem is.  I've been trying to complete the problem chart to try and zero in on what I think the issue is, and I can't get past the first set of branches.  What exactly is the problem?  People (twenty-somethings, TFAers, REALITeers?) experiencing quarter life crises lack clarity (or the ability to make a decision) around their role in the social justice movement?  I just spent 15 minutes trying to put that into a sentence and, let's be real, it's pretty bad.  

I did some research this week (believe it or not, there's a ton of research on quarter life crises) and one article I found pretty interesting was in fact on the Huffintgon Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-garrity/quarter-life-crisis-_b_2405995.html.  It talks a lot about the solutions to this feeling of uncertainty that many people face around their role in the world and the life they're leading (and I'm trying really hard not to jump there myself), but it also gives some insight on WHY this is such a common occurrence.  One particularly compelling point was around the fact that we have so many choices today- not just around our professional lives, but around every aspect of our personal lives as well.  More than this, I think people in the social justice world (us), feel a pretty intense amount of pressure around making change and improving the world around us, and figuring out exactly how we're going to do that can be pretty daunting.

Anyway, I'm going to stop babbling- I guess my questions are: is this actually a problem?  What IS the problem?  Does anything I'm saying (maybe even 5% of what I'm saying) make sense?  I trust all of your opinions so much, so lay it on me.

Happy weekend!

Jesse

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Jesse Fetbroth

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[Candace Burckhardt]

Hey group!

I hope everyone is having a splendid weekend. Thanks for the great questions on Passover and our theories of change, Jess. 

1) Passover - Wow. What an awesome holiday! I had a blast hosting two very different Seders. My first one was co-hosted by one of my current clients in the woods. We made back country matzah ball soup, mashed potatoes, chicken with veggies, and apple sauce for dessert. I have attached a picture of my co-host looking silly toward a staff member as we work on the matzah balls. It was a really special occasion because we got to explain the traditions to the rest of the girls group, and we got to have a great dialogue around spirituality and good self-care/mental health. My second Seder was held at my apartment, and I hosted 8 people who all said they can't wait to celebrate again next year. We read a Haggadah, made a plate, and kept things pretty traditional but with more of a focus on social justice and less on religion. 

2) Theory of Change - I have been avoiding this all week because I still feel unsure about where I am at in this process, but I locked myself in my office today and worked on decision-making about my direction for my theory of change and tikkun project. I have decided to go in the direction of creating a community in central Wisconsin that can support the area's outdoor and recreational opportunities. Currently, there is a large gun, fishing, and snowmobiling culture in my area, but no communities centered around hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, climbing, kayaking, etc. We have miles and miles of trails and spaces for these activities, but they are not being used and they have little support. Additionally, these activities are historically only for middle-class white people. Central Wisconsin has a 15% first-generation immigrant population and another 15% minority population, and I'd love to also focus on leveling the playing field and creating outdoor opportunities for all people, i.e. closing the outdoor opportunity gap. :-) 

I have included two documents that help support my theory of change. The first is a short report about the demographics of hiking in the U.S. that I have attached, and the second is a link about the top 10 health benefits of hiking. 

http://www.goodhiker.com/2011/05/25/health-benefits-hiking/

I'm looking forward to hearing about other's projects and how Passover went. 

Candace

On Tue, Apr 2, 2013 at 8:02 AM, Jess Marker <jessica...@teachforamerica.org> wrote:

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[Nicole Wellman]

Hey everyone,

First of all, Jesse- I thought your original idea was great, and I think the new one is really fabulous as well! I am anxious to hear the Boston story.  The idea of helping in some way with the quarter-life-crisis/20-somethings' lack of confidence with the path they want to take is so relevant and, I believe, very widespread.  I know I am one that falls in this group.  My problem is mostly that I don't know at what scale I want to serve, and really- where my strengths and passions will be utilized best.  I just recently started getting the TeachPlus newsletter, and they have an event coming up called "Should I stay or Should I Go?", focused on helping teachers figure out if they should stay in teaching and ways to make teaching more sustainable if they do want to stay. http://www.teachplus.org/page/t-network-50.html  I'd be happy to talk to you more about this too (since I am in your sample population), if you want to just chat/interview/whatever!

Candace, Awesome work on your two seders! I'm so glad they went well. Very interesting new turn to your Theory of Change--I'm so intrigued. I had never even thought about the inequalities inherent in different activities being offered in different regions...Do you think you will focus on children? I noticed the hiking link you sent talked a lot about benefits for kids.

***Passover***

My Passover seder went over really well. It was more challenging than I thought it would be designing the seder that I wanted- incorporating tradition, social justice, and enough background for guests who had never done a seder before. There were 7 of us at my seder.  Tom, my boyfriend, helped me a lot--he's an excellent cook, so we designed the menu (without brisket! so nice-cause I never liked it), and it was really neat to pick what should go in our Hagaddah together to amplify the social justice theme.  One thing I liked that we put in our seder was dedicated each glass of wine to something specific that we all could relate to:
(1)  to those who have fought for freedom in the past  (2) to those who are fighting for freedoms today  (3) to dreaming of a world with every freedom  (4) to us and those in the future who will make that dream a reality

Picture below!! :)

Theory of Change:

Thanks for making us think about this, Jess. I have definitely been giving it tons of thought, and have been on the lookout for anything that would help me make a decision in which way to go.

To refresh your memories, I have been debating between the two needs that I feel very passionate about--low expectations that are assigned and carried out with certain students from a very young age and the lack of respect for teachers in the public perspective. 

I read a great Thomas Friedman article this week, "My Little (Global) School" that quoted a study on the commonalities of great schools:
"The best schools, the study found, have strong fundamentals and cultures that believe anything is possible with any student."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/opinion/friedman-my-little-global-school.html?ref=thomaslfriedman&_r=0

I've become really interested in this idea of school culture of belief and possibility...

I think one of the ways this culture of believing "anything is possible with any student" gets broken is in teacher beliefs, perceptions, and language.

I've talked to a couple teachers who have complained to me about their "low" students and how those students can't do anything they usually do with their class.  When I asked the teachers what they thought they would need to help these students, they both mentioned the lack of resources/ they're not sure what else to do to help them.  From research I've done in graduate school, I have learned that resources in schools don't actually equate to higher student achievement, but teacher professional development/knowledge of best teaching practices can.  So, this makes me think that I would like to focus on teachers feeling confident in helping these students that they classify as "low".

Maybe a compilation of "success stories" with students that are falling behind (with resources)?

Maybe a way to connect teachers/schools/parents with others in the district (ideally, state/nation) that have strategies that work?

If teachers can see it is possible and can learn new strategies from others, wouldn't that help develop a more positive attitude towards these students? Or am I being too optimistic?

In an ideal world with all the resources and money I needed, this makes me a think of a blog/social networking-Linked In For Teachers Meets Facebook with the ability to post lesson plans/resources. AND, incorporate teacher praise with the ability to recommend teachers like Linked In does. 

Clearly, this is a far off dream, a little too extensive for a tikkun project. Jess and ALL, I might need your questioning expertise to bring me down to earth...

I've also done research on building respect for the teaching profession, but it is so incredibly intertwined with policy that I'm not sure where to go with that...
I like the idea of finding a way to let teachers/parents praise teachers publicly.

This is where I'm at right now, and I'm looking forward to hearing where you all are at and helping one another fine-tune further...because I sure know I need to.

Lots of love,
Nicole

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Nicole Wellman
- - - - - - - - - - -
wellman...@gmail.com
(602) 377-2910

[Jane Keir]

Jesse! I love your quarter-life crisis idea! I totally had my quarter-life crisis at age 29, when I quit my safe desk job at CDC at the height of the recession when all my friends were getting laid off, to move to South Africa to do “real public health work”, got a tattoo, and ultimately joined TFA all with the intention of “actually making a difference in the world.”

Candace, I love your backwoods Passover pic! So great! You’re theory of change sounds awesome. I am enjoying reflecting on your statement that “these activities are historically only for middle-class white people.” I never realized that before, you pointed it out. I wonder why this is the case?

Nicole, I love both your ideas. I am especially interested in the “respect for teachers” angle. I think it is a real problem in this country and that it impacts our ability to get the best people into our classrooms. Perhaps you could do research comparing countries where teachers are respected (Korea, Japan, Denmark, Sweden etc.) with the United States. I really hate it when people assume I teach just to get vacation time!

I have some great news to share! After an 8 hour interview process on Friday I was hired to teach 8th grade Biology at one of the top charter schools in Denver for the 2013-14 school year. I will only have one prep, and 2.5 hours of planning time every day! It is 1 mile from my house so I can walk or bike to work! And I love the idea of living and working in the same community! Plus, I asked the Principal and she said that I can design and teach sex education courses. Plus, they have just started a task force on "teacher sustainability" which I will be joining plus is aligned with my theory of change! The best part is that all of the staff were friendly and smiling and that really made me want to work there. I feel like I now I have a chance at balance and happiness!

Theory of Change: I am still trying to put this into words, but I want to research the causes of teacher/leader burn out and find ways to prevent it. How can an individual protect him/herself from burn-out so that s/he can continue to persevere in their important work. I am really concerned about this because from a personal narrative I burned out after only 5 years in public health, and if it wasn't for the 2-year commitment to TFA I probably would've burned out of teaching after only my first year, even though I am passionate about education.I've barely scratched the surface in conducting a literature review on this topic, but there is one common theme I've found, "The main causes of burnout were feckless or uncaring administrators and uncaring students. (SM)"

I will test this data out when I move from a school with a terrible administration to one with a very hands on administration -- however this isn't really want I want to tackle. I want to tackle the question of work/life/health/play balance. I am horrible at this, and I wonder how really successful leaders, with great careers, manage to achieve this. I want to be a successful hard working teacher, but I also want time with friends, to go to the gym and feel fit, to fall in love and have a romantic relationship, etc. How do I find time for all of this when my life is consumed with work and I'm exhausted at the end of the day? I found this great resource on work-life balance http://work-life balance.com. I am planning to comb through the resources on this website for concrete solutions and look for correlations between these and teacher burn-out.

Passover:

Passover was awesome! I learned so much and had an excellent time!!! I attended the community passover seder at my temple on Monday. Then on Tuesday I attended an a female Seder at my friend Emily's house. Then I hosted mine on Saturday. I think it was extra special because of my new house. I was really excited to cook my first large dinner in my new home. I had 14 guests and only one is Jewish so I played the roll of a teacher, which was really a helpful approach because knowing that I had to explain these rituals meant that I really had to study them. I used the Haggadoh that we were given and I typed up my own supplement. I asked my guests to share the social justice issue that most tears at their hearts and it was so cool to get to know my friends that way. I also had them bring their favorite poem, quote, or song lyric to share and we had kind of a poetry reading and discussion at the end of the night. I love plagues (it's the public health geek in me). So I created a game where each person got a paper bag and inside was a story describing the plague, and a toy or candy representing the plague. Since I had more than 10 guests some bags contained the word "Egyptian" and those poor participants got to be plagued! I borrowed the idea of using silly puddy as boils on my face and I'll attach that picture. It was a lot of to put together and to play. I also really enjoyed introducing my guests to matzo, gefelta fish, macaroons, and the other traditional passover foods.

With love,

Jane

 

 

 

[Aaron Burgess]

Hey Everyone!

Jane! Congrats on the new job! That is fantastic! I am glad to hear that some good is heading your way after the rough spell you were having. As I mentioned in my last email.. I've been a bit sick, so my seder has not happened yet. I DID, however, get to attend Jess and Jon's seder at their new house in San Rafael, which was fantastic! Let me say... I think you all should come out to CA and visit us.. mostly because Jess's house is GORGEOUS! One of the most beautiful back yards I have seen! I think we should try to find some weekends that work for everyone and create our own reunion out here. Make it happen grants!!

As for my theory of change, I mentioned during our call it is focusing on positioning myself for a potential run for office, or more broadly, positioning decent, honest, well-intentioned people in place to run for office. This theory of change involves a lot of digging into who I am, what I believe, and what I stand for. (A decent thing to do during a quarter life crisis) I am slowly getting more involved in California's Democratic Party. Despite the fact that there isn't an election for a while, there is a ton of work to be done, and a ton of issues to be debated. I find that discussions on the best ways to tackle these policies are a great way for me to get involved and to use my new degree. 

My other piece of news is my girlfriend Sheila, who was able to come to Jess and Jon's seder is officially a Reality member! She is going on Reality Pro this summer. I am going back to Israel as well, to attend the presidential conference, and I encourage all of you to apply for that grant as well, its due tomorrow!! Looking forward to our next talk,

Aaron

-- 
Aaron Taylor Burgess
Goldman School of Public Policy
University of California - Berkeley
M.P.P. Candidate
(720) 273-9993

[Amy Berkhoudt]

Y'all are awesome! I'm going to reply to this thread and post the next Whiparound for this week, but I need to ask for a little extension. I'll be sure to send in my reply and my next Whiparound topic on Tuesday!

Ish is cray on this side of America.

Thx for understanding!
amy

Amy Berkhoudt

Cell: 808 283 3335

amy.be...@gmail.com

 

Program Co-Director

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy

http://www.detroitfoodacademy.com