Lise's Lens: December 8, 2022
Just back from the 2022 NAIS People of Color Conference, Lise shares some fascinating plane reading, reflects on the role of student voice at CSW, and celebrates a new opera based on an old book.
WHAT I’M READING
- On my plane ride to the 2022 NAIS People of Color Conference in Texas I started to make my way through the very lengthy Segu by Marise Condé. Goodreads.com sums it up well: “Based on actual events, Segu transports the reader to a fascinating time in history, capturing the earthy spirituality, religious fervor, and violent nature of a people and a growing nation trying to cope with jihads, national rivalries, racism, amid the vagaries of commerce.”
I'm reading the French version and trying to dedicate chunks of time to the effort — there are SO many rich details that are interconnected and I need to keep it all together! It is a fabulous help in my understanding of the waves of influence on the African continent, what Goodreads describes as “the battle of the soul of Africa…from the east comes a new religion, Islam, and from the West, the slave trade.”
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- I am reflecting on a very thoughtful A Board (student Advisory Board) proposal presented at Assembly for a Town Meeting discussion around Ranked-Choice Voting Warrant Review. Here at CSW (and at other progressive schools across the country) we take these examples of student involvement in school policy as a given, but we know that not all students nationwide are offered the same opportunities to have their voices heard. Here’s a quick summary of the A Board proposal: Summary:The advisory board proposes that elections at CSW take place through ranked choice voting.What Is Ranked Choice Voting?
- Unlike having voters submit only their first choice for a position, ranked choice voting requires that voters rank all candidates from first to last choice.
- Voters give their first choice the most amount of points (which varies based on the of candidates), and then point values decrease until their last choice gets 0 points.
- The candidate with the highest amount of points wins the election.
Further resources:A video explanation: What is Ranked Choice Voting?
WHAT I'M LISTENING TO
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
- Sunday mornings is opera time in my house! This week, I had the good fortune of hearing snippets from the new opera, The Hours. It’s based on Virginia Woolf’s book Mrs. Dalloway and the movie The Hours. Take a listen! It's divine and I can't wait to hear the full performance, live, someday soon!
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
Last week 6 faculty and staff were among the over 7,500 educators who traveled to San Antonio, Texas for the People of Color Conference—first in-person PoCC since 2019. The theme to celebrate their 35th year was “Reunited in Purpose: Elevating Our Worth, Our Agency, and Our Excellence—which calls us together after the pandemic’s two-year disruption to connect with one another and the source of our highest personal and professional attributes and aspirations.” The conference is intended to give educators the tools to improve the "interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate in their schools."
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.