Learning From our Collective Wisdom
-By Greta Poser, member of the SGPP Faculty Development Committee
“I wanted to hear some more stories.” That is how one attendee of the Fall Faculty Development Conference responded when asked why he came. The theme of the 2022 fall conference was “Drawing From our Collective Wisdom,” and his sentiment reminded me of a quote from Pádraig Ó Tuama’s book In the Shelter: “To live well is to see wisely and to see wisely is to tell stories and to tell stories is to tell of things that are always changing, because even if the stories don’t change, the teller does, and so the story always moves.”
We are each experiencing “things that are always changing” – changes in how we teach, changes in technology, changes within the University, changes in our country and in our world. We are shaped by our individual and collective experience of these changes, and we are all left with stories. There are stories we learned from, stories that inspire us, stories we are wrestling with, and stories still in search of a satisfying ending. What better time to gather with other faculty and staff to listen and share stories?
After a period marked by isolation and disconnection, hearing stories can help us feel less alone and help us reconnect. We can recognize ourselves and our students in the characters – the concerned teacher, the anxious learner, the frustrated user of technology, the student with wisdom to share, the person struggling to keep all the plates spinning, the colleague striving to live true to their values, the explorer discovering new things. And those stories inspire more stories – of what we tried, what we saw, what we heard, what failed, what worked, and what might be next.
The fall conference demonstrated that there is indeed a pearl of collective wisdom within the Saint Mary’s community and an ongoing desire to learn from one another. It was reflected in how participants replied when asked to share one word about their conference experience. “Enlightened,” “hopeful,” “expanded,” “grateful,” “inspired,” “connected,” and “re-energized” were just a few of the responses. Attendees participated in a series of round table discussions on a variety of topics, including grading practices, mental health, fostering curiosity, and inclusive teaching practices. Some stories shared were neat and tidy and left the listener with a succinct bit of advice. Other stories inspired discussion that spilled over the necessary boundaries of the day – boundaries of time and space and topic – inviting further conversation. Those conversations happened in the hallways between sessions, over lunch, and in follow-up CELT offerings, with the recognition that wisdom takes time and energy but is worth the investment.
On Saturday, February 25, from 9:00 AM to noon, you have the opportunity to participate through a virtual offering of this conference format. We will gather via Zoom to discuss topics the Faculty Development Committee has collected as well as “wild card” topics attendees recommend that morning. You will pick the topics you wish to explore, and dialogue will be guided by a facilitator in breakout rooms. Please join us. Come hear some more stories! We are confident you will benefit from the time together, and we know you have an experience worth sharing. Sometimes it just takes a prompt from a facilitator or a story from a colleague to help us remember.
You are part of our collective wisdom and your participation is valued.
Hope to see you there!
