It is our first connector or ice breaker activity of the convening. We are asked to get up and find a partner, not at your table, to talk to. This is only my second AFL convening, as I am new to my role and partially to this work, which is currently responsible for some nerves I’m feeling. Lucky for me, the person I spoke to first, also was new to the AFL community, so we had that in common. He was genuinely interested in my background and what brought me to the AFL community. The conversation put me at ease. Reminding me that regardless of my position or level of experience, sharing a connection and learning from others is why we are here.
How liberating can it feel to release some of that pressure on yourself and place energy on the privilege of a shared and new experience?
Later that morning, that same person was asked to come up and share his story. His name is Dr. Gary Yee. In the moment, I felt pretty silly that Gary’s 50 years of experience in OUSD did not come up in our conversation, and that I was unknowingly talking to our local celebrity of the day. Dr. Yee gave a witty, educational and powerful presentation about the City of Oakland, OUSD and the idea of personal potency. This not only helped provide a lens and framework to what I would learn in the day and a half to follow, but also emphasized for us the power of belief in yourself and to others as a catalyst for change.
How liberating can it feel to be recognized for your role and know it carries weight?
In the afternoon, we visited Envision Academy. An environment that shares a lot of pride, vulnerability and promise. I walked into this historic building, in the center of Oakland, with the same energy as Dr. Gary Yee– curiosity and community-focus.
The Envision team made it known that constant leadership changes, staff turnover, housing prices in Oakland, among other factors, have made it tough to build consistency in school culture and implementation of the Envision model. There were some core themes that stuck with me from Dr. Yee’s presentation that showed up a lot during our visit:
Do school WITH people not TO people
Not waiting until it is perfect
Bring meaning back to school
Through interactions with students, portfolio defenses, and conversations with Envision Academy staff, we were able to see these themes displayed in real time. The mindset shift it takes to do school with people and not to them, can build lasting impacts on students’ relationship with school and their postsecondary plans.
How liberating can it feel to know you are safe to try something new, that it doesn’t have to be perfect on the first try, and that you are able to bring meaning to school through your own lived experiences and personal growth.
In Dr. Yee’s presentation, he honored one of OUSD’s superintendents, Marcus Foster, by addressing the “invisible tag” students come to us with, in which every lived experience and personal interaction, add notes to that tag– “damaged good, reduced in value” or “surpassing worth, priceless”. This tag is inevitably impacted by your self-concept, or personal potency, and the concept of the students, families and community surrounding you. Dr. Lee highlights that by recognizing students, staff, and community it helps understand the power and potential to positively contribute to everyone’s individual tag– so that nobody’s tag ever says anything other than: “surpassing worth, priceless”. Despite the hurdles that the City of Oakland and Envision Academy is experiencing, they are learning to prioritize everyone’s individual tag, including their own.
How liberating can it feel to know you are supported, loved and priceless.
As Dr. Gary Yee was leaving that morning, he made it a point to find me and share his appreciation of our conversation and wished me the best. Lucky for me, the person I spoke to during the initial ice breaker, helped me to see what the AFL community is all about and gave me something new to add to my tag.
Storyteller
Emily Takimoto
Assistant Director, District Partnership and Implementation, Colorado Education Initiative
As Assistant Director of Network Implementation and Partnership, Emily Takimoto supports Colorado school districts to expand career-connected learning practices and experiences, so students can uncover their unique skills and passions and have agency and choice in their future. Additionally, Emily supports CEI’s social emotional development work, in hopes to increase impact on engagement, self-awareness, sense of belonging and mental health for both students and staff. Emily commits to reimagining our educational system and advocating for youth-centered ideas, with empathy and intention. Outside of work, you can find Emily on a walk with her husband and two dogs, Steve and Reggie, usually to a local brewery in Denver, hiking in a nearby mountain town, and spending time with her growing family.
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