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To Teach with Soft Eyes: Reflections on a Teacher/Leader Formation Experience

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To Teach with Soft Eyes: Reflections on a Teacher/Leader Formation Experience DOCUMENT RESUME ED 439 748 JC 000 262 AUTHOR Garcia, Rica, Ed. TITLE To Teach with Soft Eyes: Reflections on a Teacher/Leader Formation Experience. INSTITUTION League for Innovation in the Community Coll., Laguna Hills, CA PUB DATE 2000-00-00 NOTE 139p.; Personal reflections came about at a retreat at the Fetzer Institute, sponsored by the Richland College of the Dallas County (TX) Community College District. AVAILABLE FROM League for Innovation in the Community College, 26522 La Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viego, CA 92691 ($19). Tel: 949-367-2884; Web site: http://leaguestore.org. PUB TYPE Books (010) Opinionjpapers (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Community Colleges; *Faculty Development; *Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Education; Teacher Motivation; *Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Two Year Colleges IDENTIFIERS *Richland College TX ABSTRACT This monograph describes the reflections of the first pilot group of teachers in the Fetzer Institute's Courage to Teach Program. A group of scholars at Richland College were the first to apply the institute's program to higher education. The essays in this collection were written by teachers and administrators who have worked together, and in solitude, to explore the inner landscape of an educator's life. Here they report on.what they discovered during those explorations and how their discoveries have illumined, challenged, and changed their lives as sOucators. This collection of essays is divided into five sections: (1) "The Courage to Change"; (2) "Safe Space"; (3) "Deep Listening"; (4)"We Teach Who We Are"; and (5)"Under the Surface: Our Stories." Essayists and articles include: (1) "Heron-to-Gull Leadership" (Stephen K. Mittelstet); (2) "The Journey or the Destination?" (Bill Neal); (3) "Back to the Future with Savoir-Faire?" (Bettie Tully); (4) "The Symphonic Winds of Teaching" (Sara Perez-Ramos); (5) "From Neiman-Marcus to Meditation" (Mary Frances Gibbons); (6) "A Personal Journey in a Public Arena" (Barbara Corvey); (7) "Safe Space" (Sally Jackman); (8) "The 'Nocebo' Effect in Academia" (Thomas A. McLaughlin); (9) "The 'Wows' of Biology" (Adriana Cobo-Frenkel);(10) "Opening a Learning Space with Humor" (Fred Newbury); (11) "I'm in My Element" (Becki Williams);(12) "Eye of the Storm: Keeping Centered Amid Conflict" (Martha Timberlake Vines);(13) "The First Day of Class" (Sue Jones); (14) "The Courage To Listen" (Susan Barkley); (15) "Sam I Am" (Sam Tinsley);(16) "The Practice of Mindfulness" (Lee Paez); (17) "Who Are You, and What Are You Doing Here?" (Herlinda Martinez Coronado); (18) "Connections: My Student/My Self" (Kay Coder);(19) "As We Pass, We Pass Along" (Mike Miles); (20) "A Time To Grow" (Al Schroeder); (21) "Dat's Story" (Fred Martinez); (22)"Where Everybody Knows My Name" (Dru Bookout); (23) "A Stained Glass Design" (Elaine Sullivan); and (24)"The Faces of Peace" (Scott Branks del Llano). (VWC) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. -To Teach with Soft Eyes Reflections on a Teacher/Leader Formation Experience Richland College U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY /(1( This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. C i2r4 e Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 0 O League for Innovation in the Community College Fetzer Institute BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 r:i Cover Art The Mobius strip incorporated in the cover art was designed and sculpted by Adriana Cobo-Frenkel, Richland College biology professor and contributing author to this publication. Adriana was inspired by her Fetzer-sponsored teacher/leader formation experience to create the sculpture from Rose of Portugal marble obtained near her studio in Pietrasanta, Italy. The Mobius strip, named for the early 19th-century mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius who formulated it, is a continuous, one-sided surface formed by twisting one end of a rectangular strip through 1802 and attaching this end to the other. With its inner side integrated with its outer side in a continuous movement, the Mobius strip symbolizes for educators the vital connection between the inner life of mind and spirit and the outer reality of a life of service to students and community. It is the rhythm of the Mobius strip that guides the teacher /leader formation experiences described in the essays included in this publication, and which guides Richlanders daily in the course of their work and play. The individuals included in the cover art are (from left to right) Fred Martinez, Faculty Counselor, Human and Academic Development; Joyce Williams, Dean, Continuing Education; and David Canine, Vice President for Institutional Advancementthree members of the Richland College community. Photography John Pollock, Campus Photographer, took all photographs. All photos were taken on the Richland campus with the exception of that of Stephen K. Mittelstet, which was taken in the garden of his home. To Teach with Soft Eyes Reflections on a Teacher/Leader Formation Experience Richland College Dallas County Community College District Rica Garcia, Editor 2000 © League for Innovation in the Community College 4 The League for Innovation in the Community College and Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District (TX)are indebted to the Fetzer Institute for the development of this monograph, distributed as a part of the League's Learning Initiative. More information about the Fetzer Institute and its workmay be found on page 150 or at www.fetzer.org. 5 Dedication In memory of Pricilla Hayter-Hall, whose strong spirit guides us Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments 1 Preface 3 David Sluyter Foreword 5 Parker Palmer Our Story 6 Rica Garcia, editor THE COURAGE TO CHANGE Heron-to-Gull Leadership 16 Stephen K. Mittelstet The Journey or the Destination? 22 Bill Neal Back to the Future with Savoir-Faire? 28 Bettie Tully The Symphonic Winds of Teaching 34 Sara Perez-Ramos From Neiman-Marcus to Meditation 38 Mary Frances Gibbons A Personal Journey in a Public Arena 44 Barbara Corvey SAFE SPACE Safe Space 52 Sally Jackman The "Nocebo" Effect in Academia 56 Thomas A. McLaughlin The "Wows" of Biology 60 Adriana Cobo-Frenkel Opening a Learning Space with Humor 66 Fred Newbury I'm in My Element 70 Becki Williams 7 Table of Contents DEEP LISTENING Eye of the Storm: Keeping Centered Amid Conflict 78 Martha Timberlake Vines The First Day of Class 82 Sue Jones The Courage to Listen 88 Susan Barkley WE TEACH WHO WE ARE Sam I Am 94 Sam Tinsley The Practice of Mindfulness 98 Lee Paez Who Are You, and What Are You Doing Here? 104 Herlinda Martinez Coronado Connections: My Student/My Self 110 Kay Coder As We Pass, We Pass Along 116 Mike Miles UNDER THE SURFACE: OUR STORIES A Time to Grow 122 Al Schroeder Dat's Story 128 Fred Martinez Where Everybody Knows My Name 132 Dru Bookout A Stained Glass Design 138 Elaine Sullivan The Faces of Peace 144 Scott Branks del Llano Acknowledgments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For their help and support we wish to thank- * Parker Palmer and Marianne Houston, our teachers David Sluyter, Vice President-Education of the Fetzer Institute, and the other dedicated staff of the Fetzer Institute for giving us this opportunity to grow and face our deepest challenges, with very special thanks to Mickey Olivanti, Program Associate, who carefully read and edited the manuscript 'i The Seasons staff from the Fetzer Institute retreat center, who made our stay a time of healing and peace i' Nancy LeCroy, of our Dallas County Community College District office, who arranged for publication of our work * Terry O'Banion, Gerardo E. de los Santos, and the other dedicated staff of the League for Innovation, who agreed to publish our work sight unseen and generously expanded their commitment to this project to include photographs with the manuscript as our work and vision for the publication evolved, and the League's editing team, especially Cindy Miles who prepared the final draft for publication * Our administrators-Steve Mittelstet, Elaine Sullivan, Sue Jones, Tom McLaughlin, Jackie Claunch, and Linda Coronado-who have supported the work of the faculty and made it possible for us to reach out to our students with a holistic approach which acknowledges the mental, emotional, and physical fears they must deal with in order to learn and grow `4' Three Richland artists who found just the right images to support our words-John Pollock, Campus Photographer, Suzy Hogue, design of the internal format, and Pat Settlemires, cover design '1 Janet James, Special Assistant to the President, who tirelessly coordinated the cover design and photographs to capture visually the spirit of our words, the writers who created them, and our campus To the spirit of truth that supports and guides us all, we are grateful. Fetzer Project Participants Richland College r 19 Preface PREFACE The first pilot group of teachers in the Fetzer Institute's Courage to Teach program introduced themselves in a novel way. In triads, the teachers explored the reasons they chose teaching as a profession and how those reasons were actualized in their current careers. They shared their exploration with the larger group as an introductory exercise. It was one of the most moving experiences I have witnessed in group work, as teacher after teacher expressed, often emotionally, the disconnect between working in a system and the deep caring for children or young adults that brought them to the profession. I knew then that we were on the right track with the notion of teacher formation and with the programmatic approach that has come to be called Courage to Teach.
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