Dream Weavers

Three educators… three stories…intertwined together to represent one journey. This is a story rooted in the braiding together of our three unique fabrics. Each strand of the braid has a distinct skill set, views the world through an alternate perspective, and brings a unique schema and experiences along with it. There are other textiles and fabrics in this weaving. Some are rough, coarse, smooth, thick… These other textures are part of the fabric of our community: the students we hold up in all their beautiful, unique, complexity, the place in which we are situated, the adults who are an interconnected part of this process, and the ways in which we all come together.

In order to “weave”, one must have a structure to craft on, commonly referred to as a “loom”. For us, this loom has been each other. The strength and structure of a loom is representative of the trust involved between the parties creating the weaving together. This trust is a tacit and unspoken contract that lives in our relationships with each other and our community in myriad ways. We hold each other up in work, in life. In the course of reflecting on our journey together, we came to the statement that, “we don’t just teach together, we LIFE together.”

The warp threads create the tension. They symbolize our shared guiding principles, personal beliefs, and values. The warp threads hold the tension, providing stability, and strength. The energy that is created by this tension weaves together our community tapestry. As Joan Erikson states, “A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything.” We have felt the power of this tension, both as we live our beliefs and as events transpire in our community. The tension can feel life-giving, but it can also feel hard. But, as we have learned together, there is beauty in the hard parts, too.

The weft is everything else. Our collective experiences, the children and what they bring to the weaving, the way we choose to be as a community. It is shaped by the warp - by our beliefs, our principles. The weft is the story of our becoming as a community.