Head of School's Blog
Reimagining Community
As we embark on the 2024-2025 school year, I am considering our shared journey ahead. We, all of us, individually and collectively, are the shapers of the experiences we will have together this school year. Our community is our superpower, especially when we recognize the power of working together toward a common purpose: our school’s mission. An essential assumption built into that mission is that children learn best in a community of people who understand that we all want to feel a sense of dignity, respect, and belonging. As we think about coming together this school year, can we commit to bringing this lens to our human interactions?
Like many of you, my summer was filled with time for rest and reflection. I enjoyed doing some of my favorite activities, including kayaking, long walks, listening to music, swimming in the ocean, reading, and spending time with the people I love. I think about my summer activities as practices that have strengthened my sense of resilience and joy, which will be a springboard for my work this school year. My time apart was necessary to nourish me, both personally and professionally.
Indeed, this rejuvenation is an act of community because it helped me fill the reserves of energy that I need to continue to work alongside the staff, the students, and the families in pursuit of our shared mission. Often, we lose sight of the fact that every community comprises individuals who bring their talents, experiences, and perspectives. And these individuals also have their own needs for rest and renewal. Hopefully, our time away has helped us to gain fresh perspectives.
At Fayerweather, we approach learning by focusing on and developing each child's individual talents, strengths, and interests. But in doing so, we are modeling a community that is not in pursuit of conformity but a celebration of difference, diversity, and curiosity. Individualism and community are not practices at odds with each other but inform and sustain one another.
This school year, I want to challenge all of us to reimagine what living in community means, and how it shapes learning and our sense of belonging. Throughout the year, I will return to the “Reimagining Community” theme, focusing on the joys and demands that living in community brings. My hope is that through shared dialogue and reflection, we will be able to explore how what we do at Fayerweather is not just building a strong community within our school but preparing children and families to envision and build the kinds of communities they want to be a part of in the world.
Community is a practice. As a practice, it’s not always easy, and nor should it be. But when we are intentional about making communities that reflect our shared values, we are better prepared to nourish the individuals we live, learn, and work alongside.
I look forward to exploring these ideas with you this year, both in this blog and in our conversations online and “real” life. And perhaps, as we’re Reimagining Community, we’ll find that we and our students are reimagining ourselves in the process.
Fayerweather Street School | 765 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 | 617-876-4746
Fayerweather is a private PreK, kindergarten, elementary and middle school. We engage each child’s intellect.