Education Healing (long)

Michelle Cooper mcooper at integralvisions.com
Fri Jun 28 13:16:14 PDT 2002


Still catching up on back e-mails Larry. Thanks for sharing this story. The
infighting, finger pointing and toxicity created in our publicly funded
systems sure need a lot of healing. It sounds like a good start.
Congratulations.
Michelle
  -----Original Message-----
  From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Larry
Peterson
  Sent: 9-Jun-02 10:35
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Subject: Education Healing (long)


  I have to share a story while I'm still vibrating with the excitement and
energy.  (I'll improve the writing and detail for the next OSI Canada
Newsletter coming out soon).



  I just finished leading a 2.5 day 350 person Open Space event on
"Realizing the Promise of Public Education" that was wonderful.  Judy Gast
and Audrey Coward volunteered to give super help for a topic they cared
about.  Some other folks who have taken OS workshops and facilitate events
were there, Eric Lillis and Louise Pinet as participants and Susan Langley
and Ruth  Baumann, both trained facilitators, were also the sponsors.



  For the past 10 years Public Education has been under substantial threat
in Ontario, like in many places.  What was touted as one of the best systems
in the world has been cut to the bone and teachers have been taken on buy a
government with strong leaning toward a private system.  During that time
the Teacher's Federations have fought among themselves and the umbrella
Ontario Teachers' Federation has had to substantially downsize (in the last
6 months).



  In the face of all this there has been a poisoned, confrontational climate
among the stakeholders.  To begin to address this, the Ontario Teachers
Federation initiated a series of 2.5 hour community forums in 1999.  I was
asked to design them and to train teacher-facilitators to use a process of
small group discussions where teachers listened with no presentations.  The
38 communities that have held the forums across the province recruited a
diversity of participants to the dialogue - and dialogue not outcome was the
focus.  As you might expect, the "outcomes" of those forums, what people
have done as a result of the conversations  and networking have been
exciting both for the communities and for the participants, including the
teachers.



  These past few days, OTF held a Provincial Forum.  Because of the
downsizing, they cut the expectation to 200 participants.  Because of great
recruiting 320 people from across the province came.



  The event began with some presentations, not my preference but what was
necessary for the sponsors.  I then opened and held the space and the
participants self-organized some amazing, healing, joyful, strategic and
momentum building conversations.  The participants were from across Ontario:
parents, teachers, administrators, trustees, provincial activists,
federation activists with education, food banks, healthy schools, small
business people, aboriginal education leaders, a few Ministry of Education
folks, black activists, etc.



  For most it was their first experience of Open Space but they carried with
them some of the values and skills from the Community Forums.  There was
some attrition by the closing on Saturday morning, as expected, but those
who stayed told of life affirming and changing experiences: healing
conversations between parents and teachers, between those working from
different perspectives on how to move forward, between local union leaders
and business people.  One woman was moved by here community forum a couple
of years ago to run for trustee, and won.  She described how she was moved
by the Open Space to stand up for her community in ways she could not have
imagined.  Students loved it.



  It was a delight and another step down a path.  More community forums are
planned in areas that have not held them or to take the conversations to a
new level where they have been held.  The next Provincial Forum in Open
Space will be held in a year with a hope to double the size and it will be
right before Provincial Elections.



  It's a story I needed to tell my friends this morning.  Thanks.



  Larry



  Larry Peterson

  Associates in Transformation

  Toronto, ON, Canada

  416.653.4829



  larry at spiritedorg.com

  www.spiritedorg.com





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