The K-16 CFG met this evening at the Doris Miller Center. Present were Lidia, Michaelann, Jonett, Tim, Mary, Donna, and Marcela. Suzanne S. from HA+C was a guest during the first part of the meeting.

We started with a few announcements of upcoming dates--I wanted to make sure that the HA+C summer events got on everybody's calendar.

Next, we did Connections for ten minutes. Usually, my favorite part of Connections is just having some quiet time to mull things over or absorb what others are saying. Tonight, I was distracted by the noise that my children were making until their dad could pick them up. It reminded me how important space and atmosphere are to conducting successful meetings. At least I'm sure that I'll have a reliable babysitter for the May meeting because my mother-in-law will be visiting that week!

After Connections concluded, Tim and Suzanne asked us to act as a focus group for their work concerning teacher leadership. We engaged in a silent chalk talk for about 20 minutes and then discussed some of the issues that surfaced. I neglected to write down the focusing questions. Perhaps somebody could add them in the comments section of this blog entry.

Some of the questions that emerged were: What is a leader? What is the purpose of training teacher leaders? How are leaders identified? How will schools benefit? etc. etc. I was struck by the richness of our silent conversation, and Tim expressed gratitude that we were willing to delve right into identifying challenges. I think that we are all interested in seeing where this project may lead.

Finally, we filled our plates with sandwiches and fruit and sat down to help Mary with her dilemma. Without getting into specifics, her problem involved issues of group ownership and changes in personnel and leadership. It felt so satisfying to do authentic CFG work.

Reflections are in the extended entry.

Michaelann admonished me for not posting this entry earlier--my apologies.

The K-16 CFG met on May 10 at Best Elementary School in Alief. Present were Janet, Carolyn, Tim, Sharon, Michaelann, Mary, and Donna.

Janet brought in a dilemma that involved getting a team with new members to work more effectively as a team. What strategies can make a team more successful? The questioning and discussion highlighted issues of
·the value of teamwork (Does the school truly value collaboration? How can you tell?),
·shared expectations (for students and adults),
·building trust,
·training, and
·valuing high quality teaching and learning.

After helping Janet with her dilemma, we talked about our own team--this K-16 CFG--and what we value about this group. Here are some excerpts from that conversation:

"I value the collegiality. I value having a place to share and sharpen my work."
"I value being able to share with people on my level."
"I value the support, the instructional connections, the escape from administrative drama."
"I value connecting with people who can push [my skills and thinking]."
"[I value spending time with people who are] entrenched in the work--whose efforts are student centered."
" I value getting input I respect. These people are not in my school, but they understand schools."

Like any CFG, this group values relationships and is a safe place to acknowledge struggles and challenges. However, I think that this particular group is special because we offer a space for experienced facilitators to push each other. I also have a hunch that the work we do in coaches clinics and new coach seminars is improved because of the relationships that we build on throughout the year.

That being said, I also think that it is time to invite others to join the group. I have sometimes been frustrated by low attendance at meetings, and that has affected our progress as an inquiry group. We should think about adding new voices that can advance the work of this group.

REFLECTIONS follow in the extended entry.

The K-16 CFG met on Saturday, August 20, 9am-12noon, at my house for a breakfast meeting. Present were Tim, Sharon, Marcela, Mary, Janet, Josephine, Donna, and Carolyn. We reconnected over pancakes, fruit, sausage casserole, juice, and coffee, and then spent a full hour "re-introducing" ourselves using the activity "Will the Real Mr./Mrs. Jones Stand Up?" from The Big Book of Team Building Games by John Newstrom and Edward Scannell.

We each drew a picture to represent ourselves on an index card, put the cards in a basket, and then took turns drawing a card from the basket and "introducing" the artist by interpreting the sketch. Then the "real Mr./Ms. Jones" would clarify, correct, and explain the sketch. I think that this icebreaker worked well for our group since we've worked together for quite a while. This particular group has been meeting as the K-16 CFG since 2003, our CFG roots go back to 1998 when many of us were trained, and some of us have known each other even longer than that. Can you guess who drew each picture?

During introductions, we also shared news about job changes and what kind of CFG each of us is coaching this year. There is wonderful diversity of how we use the work within the group. For example, Janet is coaching the 1st and 2nd year teachers at JMS, Sharon would like to coach a group of trained coaches in Alief, Mary will continue to lead her Teacher As Researcher group, Marcela is exploring ways to involve parents and the arts community in CFG work, and Josephine will be leading the professional development of principals in Houston ISD as well as co-coaching a middle school CFG.

We then revisited the FOCUS of our CFG. Using the Focus/Collaboration/Reflection model in Building Shared Responsibility for Student Learning by Anne Conzemius and Jan O'Neill, I shared that I thought we were very strong reflectors, that we are a friendly group and collaborate well on activities, but that we have not yet developed a strong focus to guide us.

I wondered out loud, "Why aren't more of the trained coaches in Houston actually coaching a CFG?" Our talk led to a discussion of what we called "Big CFG" and "little cfg." Little cfg is using bits and pieces of CFG practices. Examples would be setting norms for a group, looking at student work during a department meeting or using a protocol for a text-based discussion. These bits and pieces of CFG work that have trickled through our districts are good in that they can be a vehicle for moving people to Big CFG work and meetings are better facilitated. However, a focus on "little cfg" protocols and processes has diluted the work. It makes us cringe to see protocols misused by people who have not bothered to be trained.

So what is Big CFG? Here are some of the words and phrases that I jotted down during our conversation: student learning at center, enlightenment, social growth, empowering, equity, inquiry, makes big ideas real, makes me a better person and that makes me better for the kids, makes me more thoughtful in my work, wholer person, reflection in practice, working smarter.

To sum it up, Big CFG is not just about going through a program and using certain protocols. Big CFG is about forming relationships and changing ourselves to be the best that we can be as teachers, administrators, and coaches.

Now what? The goal that emerged from that conversation is to "expand the opportunities for trained CFG coaches to engage in meaningful work." I also wrote down "encouraging trained coaches in Houston to start groups and nurture them."

Our reflections are in the extended entry.