Being in Community

By Aleta Margolis , Founder and President

Listen to?this week’s Hooray For Monday podcast episode ?to hear a preview of Aleta’s conversation on the Creativists in Dialogue podcast, hosted by Washington, DC-based artists, writers, and educators Elizabeth Bruce and Michael Oliver, and focused on highlighting how creativity shapes our lives.

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

Margaret J. Wheatley, educator and activist

Over nearly 30 years,?Center for Inspired Teaching?has had the opportunity to teach thousands of teachers, school leaders, and education changemakers. Those who have participated in our programming, joined us in partnership, and amplified our work have helped to create?a wide-ranging community of people dedicated to transforming the learning experience for students.

I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with long-time friends of?Inspired Teaching, Elizabeth Bruce and Michael Oliver. Both participated, many years ago, in the yearlong?Inspired Teaching Institute , and they bring creativity, curiosity, and compassion to their work as writers, artists, and educators. Elizabeth and Michael produce a weekly podcast series, Creativists in Dialogue. The show’s goal is to highlight the many ways creativity shapes our lives and who we become and features a wide range of interview subjects – including me!

I spoke with Elizabeth and Michael in early June and had the opportunity to share my background, Inspired Teaching’s mission and history, the importance of teaching and learning with our whole bodies, and so much more, with their listeners. It was an energizing conversation, reminding me not only of all Inspired Teaching has accomplished over the years, but also the power of being in community with others who share your goals.

I encourage you to listen to this week’s Hooray For Monday podcast for a preview of our conversation, and to subscribe to Creativists in Dialogue for many more insightful interviews.

Listen Here

• Everything necessary for transforming the education experience is innate to us as humans. We are born hard-wired to learn through curiosity and communication, two integral facets of Inspired Teaching’s approach.

• There’s value in taking risks while we learn. It’s important to create opportunities for students — even and especially those doing well — to challenge themselves.
• Movement must be part of learning, not a break from it. Recognizing the need for physical activity is great but take it a step farther and integrate physical activity into our lessons.

Listen Here

I also encourage you to seek ways in the week ahead – in your classroom, in your school, in your neighborhood – to build and strengthen community (you’ll find several resources below for doing so). It’s a requisite for bringing about the change you wish to see in the world, and it’s a rich source of joy for years to come!

A special thank you to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities , who support both the Creativists in Dialogue podcast and Center for Inspired Teaching.