Dear Baldwin Families,
In September, the Baldwin School Council agreed that proposing a set of community agreements would be valuable. As we engage in conversations about complex topics--such as proposed changes in school schedule--it can be helpful to revisit the ideas. We developed these agreements to be exercised all the time, but particularly in times where differing ideas are shared.
In addition to the Community Agreements, one skill that we must all exercise and practice is the ability to hold two potential truths at once--even when they represent a tension. For example: it might be true that a particular idea might not be the best idea for my family, yet it still might be true that this idea meets the needs of another family. In other words, we don’t always need to think of ideas as simply right or wrong. Sometimes ideas or proposals represent a value tension that must be reasoned through as a community.
Thanks for reading,
-Heidi
Community Agreements
Assume good intent, and take responsibility for your impact.
When something goes wrong, remember that we are all doing our best. Yet, if something does go wrong, it’s important to address the harms that have been done--even if that harm was not intentional.
Practice, appreciate, encourage and value empathy.
Put yourself in others’ shoes.
Remember that we value diversity and that diversity means difference of all kinds.
We value difference in many areas including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, family structures and we also must value difference across academic readiness, learning style, disability status, behavior or social-emotional needs, etc.
Reframe confrontation as collaboration.
We are all in this together and it’s never “me against you.” It’s should always be “everyone working together” to find the ways to best serve all members of our learning community.
Express appreciation and recognize success.
Doing both of these things early and often can only make us stronger!
Keep communication open and seek to understand.
Communication is key! Let’s ask questions if we don’t see the full picture.
Always show respect.
This is so important across all community members and groups. This also means talking about each other, about other students, families and staff with respect, always.
Think of your own child and of our collective community.
This can be really tough to do, but remember that your child thrives when the community thrives.