A seminal experience is a life-changing moment that alters you forever. If you are lucky, that experience is connected to a cohort of people around a common event or process and its effect is magnified because the experience is durable, lasting as long as the relationships between the members of the group remain strong. Many of us look back in fondness at such moments and groups in our lives, and a little introspection brings a twinge of sadness that the effect eventually waned. Inevitably, some of us even try to recreate the feeling by trying to resurrect a similar experience but this rarely works. We end up longing for the good ole days when we could be creating brand new experiences, instead of trying to copy old ones. For those of you in the academy, that time is now!
I am in the enviable position to see the effects the academy has produced and continues to produce among you. I am sure you all don't see it though, as so many responses and issues come directly to me. So, after only four months, I would like to take stock of things, review some highlights and some deficits, and finally, to challenge you all on future of the academy itself!
There have been many of you who have worked very hard on this project from the beginning (I won't name names as it is obvious); there are some of you who have put in a lot of effort, but have done so erratically, and there have been a few of you who have been negative. Given that we are a group of 35, these are not bad ratios. It is time though to decide if this academy will continue to thrive, and more importantly, it this entity will become one of those seminal, enduring experiences we all desire. The time is now! There are programs that start everyday that die before they reach fruition -we have done a good job so far (most of us anyway), but if we don't rally right now and take the academy to the next level, it will become one of a million projects started with good intentions but killed by apathy. Given that I know many of you have your some of your dreams intertwined with this academy, I have a few healthy challenges to propose:
1) Guys - we have not pulled our weight as a group! Me included - the ladies are far ahead of us. It is time to step up and show that we care and are interested.
2) Ladies - keep up the good work, reach out to others and help them stay motivated too.
3) All of us - lets pick a motivation partner and keep them involved, it helps to have a partner to push us
4)The few of you who aren't that interested in the future of this academy - let me know and I will release you from the requirements - to be very fair, I know none of you had a really clear idea what this experience was to be, and perhaps it has not fit your needs, there is no shame if this is the case
5)For those of us who will remain and finish this first cohort of this academy and who want to see it flourish - work hard on your projects, respond diligently to the next few data requests I will make, spread the word (be good ambassadors as many of you already are), and start to process this experience, thinking about how this experience has changed you, and the results of that change. I will be asking for this info soon.
I know some of this is harsh, but any group that achieves the kind of results we set our sights on must be thorough and honest in evaluating itself. Think about the things I have brought up here, decide if we will see this experience through in such a way that it becomes a hallmark of our educational careers and an institution that eventually serves thousands and changes the lives of our children. Big stuff takes big work.....
I am in the enviable position to see the effects the academy has produced and continues to produce among you. I am sure you all don't see it though, as so many responses and issues come directly to me. So, after only four months, I would like to take stock of things, review some highlights and some deficits, and finally, to challenge you all on future of the academy itself!
There have been many of you who have worked very hard on this project from the beginning (I won't name names as it is obvious); there are some of you who have put in a lot of effort, but have done so erratically, and there have been a few of you who have been negative. Given that we are a group of 35, these are not bad ratios. It is time though to decide if this academy will continue to thrive, and more importantly, it this entity will become one of those seminal, enduring experiences we all desire. The time is now! There are programs that start everyday that die before they reach fruition -we have done a good job so far (most of us anyway), but if we don't rally right now and take the academy to the next level, it will become one of a million projects started with good intentions but killed by apathy. Given that I know many of you have your some of your dreams intertwined with this academy, I have a few healthy challenges to propose:
1) Guys - we have not pulled our weight as a group! Me included - the ladies are far ahead of us. It is time to step up and show that we care and are interested.
2) Ladies - keep up the good work, reach out to others and help them stay motivated too.
3) All of us - lets pick a motivation partner and keep them involved, it helps to have a partner to push us
4)The few of you who aren't that interested in the future of this academy - let me know and I will release you from the requirements - to be very fair, I know none of you had a really clear idea what this experience was to be, and perhaps it has not fit your needs, there is no shame if this is the case
5)For those of us who will remain and finish this first cohort of this academy and who want to see it flourish - work hard on your projects, respond diligently to the next few data requests I will make, spread the word (be good ambassadors as many of you already are), and start to process this experience, thinking about how this experience has changed you, and the results of that change. I will be asking for this info soon.
I know some of this is harsh, but any group that achieves the kind of results we set our sights on must be thorough and honest in evaluating itself. Think about the things I have brought up here, decide if we will see this experience through in such a way that it becomes a hallmark of our educational careers and an institution that eventually serves thousands and changes the lives of our children. Big stuff takes big work.....
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