Welcome to Vermont's Rural Partnership

Reflections by Peacham Community Members on Their
"Community of Purpose" Work

[March 2002]

by Margaret MacLean, Peacham School Principal (former principal)

If I had to come up with adjectives to describe the process they would be contradictory. Time consuming, tiring, hard to swallow, and frustrating would be counterbalanced by needed, reinforcing, grounding, and important. I am glad the process is over and we have the new strategic plan to follow but I also think the process was necessary and one that is essential to every school/community at least once every ten years.

The most frustrating part of the process for me was listening to individual's personal agendas. It was frustrating hearing individuals not in the process for the common good for all kids, but for their own personal interests for their child. This was compounded by views from narrow perspectives, based on hearsay or one-time observation. Hearing inaccurate, quickly-drawn conclusions was very frustrating. Trying to listen thoughtfully and not respond to this was very hard for me, and responses sounded so defensive without meaning to be.

The best part for me was the support and dedication of a number of community members who truly had the best interests of all kids at heart who listened well, who put in countless hours and who built on consensus not divisions.

I can point to the end product and say yes I am connected to this, these goals are my goals to a large extent. I can continue doing my job at least for now. A different end product may have resulted in a different conclusion about this for me. The process confirmed the school is not at odds with the community vision and values, but is on the right track, and it pointed the track forward.

Wendy Morgan, Parent and Community Member
The "kitchen meetings" were an extremely important way for us to reach out to the larger community. We needed to hear the voices of those who aren't usually involved in school affairs and those who decline to speak out at large meetings. Small gatherings focused on people's concerns and positive solutions were very effective in bringing community members together on school issues.

Ingrid Reade, Teacher and Community Member
It was nice getting different people involved. The kitchen meetings were nice because it gave different people a chance to give their opinion. The strategic plan as an end result is very useful and beneficial to the school.

Anne Gallagher, School Board Member
While struggling with Handel's Messiah, we once heard our choir director assure us that our parts would marinate between rehearsals. We would improve. The Community of Purpose process has offered its own, counterpoint texture of ideas shared, providing a rich, full-bodied marinating for the school. As with Handel's masterpiece, when performed well, the school-community connection becomes an orchestrated triumph for all who attend.

Susan Greenleaf, Parent and Community Member
I was personally dubious about the whole process, but I was willing to give it a try. I'm not sure if it was useful - it may have been, but I sure wouldn't want to do it again. Maybe there's a way to streamline the process. We had to get everyone's opinion and to synthesize them all, and because of some of the noisy voices I wasn't sure it was reflective of the actual numbers of people who were saying things. Maybe we could accomplish this in a couple of large community forums.

Bess O'Brien, Parent and Community Member
The Community of Purpose three year planning process with the Peacham School was a truly expanding experience for all of us involved. The ability to reach into the community through the grassroots organizing of kitchen meetings gave all of us a sense of inclusiveness that made the process rewarding. The steady work of reviewing and revisiting issues that the community and school were concerned with made us all open our minds and hearts to what was best for the school and children.

There was a strong commitment to listening and respecting other people's views. This respect is reflected in the 3 year plan and is extensive. It provides a progressive outlook on education with action steps that will provide forward movement of accomplishing the goals we have set out.

A very good experience for all involved, even if people occasionally complained about the time that it took. Ultimately, we all learned a great deal about education, children, our community and the teachers. It gave us a keen sense of accomplishment to know that we had hashed it out together and had come to a common understanding. Good work!

Nick Comerci, Parent and Community Member
Looking back at the "Community of Purpose" process, what struck me as unique was the willingness and effort the school put forth to involve the community in developing belief statements and a mission statement which would help guide the school for years to come. The attendance at the kitchen meetings showed a commitment to the process by many community members, some who no longer had children in the school. The challenge to come will be to implement the goals and activities developed with continued community involvement and enthusiasm. This continued process will only strengthen the bridge between the school and community, which apparently is very important to this small rural town.

Thelma White, Community Elder, Former Teacher and Principal
I thought the process was worthwhile at the time., I was happy with it. But how do we do more now than we did then, when we had the help of experts, the facilitators? At the kitchen meetings we didn't get the people we really need to reach, we never do. They either don't have time or don't care. There were people who weren't there I wished there were. You do better in a small group.

Cathy Browne, Teacher and Community Member
It was an exhausting process, but now that I can look back on it with a healthy completed document I realize how valuable it was. It's the kind of thing that's so much work and nobody seems to notice how much effort it is, but like so much of daily life—like the dishes and the laundry—it becomes a real problem if you don't put in the time. If we hadn't listened to every single person at every single kitchen meeting, and repeatedly listened to every single voice at every meeting it would not only have been a big mistake, but our work would have had an empty ring. We needed to hear all sides of the story. We needed to let our neighbors know that we were listening, even if we didn't always agree. We needed to patiently explain what we do over and over, when we felt like no one cared and that every time we opened our mouths someone in the room felt we were being defensive. But they did care, and those that truly care stayed with it until the bitter end. Even though the actual document may seem similar to the one from 10 years ago, its true value goes way beyond a few sheets of paper and some specific tasks. It was the process that was important, spending the time listening to the voices who shared their heartfelt wishes for their children, and for the community's children, and for the future of the school.

More Info on Peacham School

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please contact: margaret.maclean@ruraledu.org

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