Coffee Wise

We started a weekly series this term, by and for staff, through which they can share areas of research, expertise or interest with the rest of us. Within two days of announcing the series, we had filled every slot till the end of term and four weeks into the next school year! People had clearly been waiting for the opportunity to share what excites them. As school leaders, sometimes it's easy to forget the depth of knowledge and expertise of a staff body.

In the four weeks since we started, we've heard about how Hindi cinema has shaped the Indian city and bourgeois tastes, about the network of international college counselors working diligently to widen access to higher education, about researching the expatriate community in Goa, and, today, about studying light as a physicist and understanding the depth of spiritual metaphor present in its nature.

Ten to fifteen teachers are choosing to spend an hour at the end of their school day, engaging intellectually with each other's work and passions. I can see it breeding new appreciation for unique areas of expertise. It is already proving a great way to kickstart professional learning communities again and to ascertain which members of the community may have the bandwidth and energy to help lead.

Each week, I leave feeling privileged to work with dedicated learners and gratified at having the opportunity to spend an hour completely shifting gears to consider a new question or issue. I'm reminded how much we all need to be seen and heard for our individual, deep selves. And how much I love to listen and learn!