Last week was the annual Achieving the Dream DREAM conference. They hold it every February, and I've been invited every year and have never been able to go. I coach the Women's Basketball team at my college and February just doesn't work. It's frustrating because it always looks like a great conference, and this year, in particular, had such a strong thread on meeting basic needs and overcoming poverty, issues that are near and dear to my heart. I'm grateful for my colleagues and for the genius of social media to keep me up to date on what happens there. This year they were a little tougher on me though. If you are lucky, you have a partner at your work who shares your vision and has strengths that complement your weaknesses. I'm lucky to have exactly that. Her name is Mandy and she's my associate dean. If you are double lucky, you have a boss who gets what you are trying to do and looks for ways to support that. I also have that. Her name is Kat. Besides being great supporters, they also share a devious sense of humor, and they knew I wanted to be there. Which means tweets like this one started showing up in my Twitter feed.
That's Kat on the left, and Mandy on the right flanking Russell Lowery-Hart of Amarillo College. They also informed me we looked alike, although he rocks the bow tie much better than I do, and obviously I'm just a touch grayer. They were at a #RealCollege reception hanging out with all my heroes... Once they got done making me wish I was there, they also sent me some amazing information that got me reflecting on what we are trying to do with poverty informed practice at Western. Let me share a few thoughts.
During a session with Dr. Lowery-Hart and others from Amarillo, Mandy started sending me a series of quotes and observations that were landing home with her. The one I remember was something along the lines of how we in education have historically made ourselves (college) the long-term goal that needs to be cut out when students are dealing with short-term crisis. We have to be part of the short-term solution, so we don’t get cut out of students' lives... It reminded me of Dr. William Glasser and his idea of "quality world", and if you weren't part of someone's "quality world" you would lose any influence you had with them. It also reminded me of our well-intended, but not poverty informed days when we would suggest to students that they take some time off and come back when they are "ready." As I explained last week, I think we must categorically reject that approach (On "readiness") and find a way to be ready for the student whenever they come to us. We know people in the crisis of poverty are, by definition, dealing with short-term issues. We cannot disrespect their drive to change things by sending them away. If we accept relationships are key to this work, sending them away is a recipe for disaster. So, as we become more poverty informed, we know we need to bring supports and resources to where students are. They are on our campus trying to change their lives. As Dr. Donna Beegle often says, we should stand in awe of their strengths and their courage and do everything we can to help them on their way.
Kat was also communicating pretty regularly and wanted to remind me who else I didn't get to hang out with... That's her and the amazing Sara Goldrick-Rab in the next photo. Dr. Goldrick-Rab has been an amazing supporter of Western's efforts to emulate her FAST fund and forgiving of my foibles in doing so. Watching Kat make these connections (plus several messages she sent me) reminded me we need to keep working to bring more resources to where people are. Slides on food insecurity reminded me I need to follow up with our local SNAP provider on Monday. We need to get students enrolled, it really can't wait. Like so much equity work (and I consider this equity work), those of us not in crisis have the luxury of pacing ourselves or taking a break when we are burned out. The people who we are serving do not have that luxury, and it is good for me to always remember that.
Missing the conference was hard, but I really did enjoy the barrage of texts, tweets, and emails. But there was one that hit home most directly. I saw it on Twitter first, but Kat and Mandy both confirmed they heard it in person. Cara Crowley was presenting (she's the center of another picture I got to remind me I wasn't there:)) and someone asked Cara if they ever worry at Amarillo someone might take advantage and misuse the services they provide. Cara's response "No. We don't care. We're not going to build systems that punish 95% of our students for what 5% of students do." So simple and so brilliant. I sent it out to my staff in my Poverty Informed Friday email. We... don't... care... Because they are going to do what's right. Because they aren't going to build systems based on scarcity or fear of abuse. One of the things my team is striving for is how to create a sense of belonging, and not wasting time worrying about a tiny fraction of people who don't behave the way you hope in favor of welcoming the overwhelming majority who do seems like the perfect way to do it. We will start looking again on Monday for policies and procedures we have built on the wrong paradigm. I remember having a messed-up version of GED assistance, built by me (read here), and I don't want to make that mistake again if I can avoid it. I've only met Cara Crowley in person one time, but she got me right where it counts with this one. I think it has the power to change just about everything.
I titled this article Dreams. Obviously, that was in reference to the conference but it is also a reminder of the importance of what we are doing here. I gave a kick-off speech last fall at our all-college day, and I was describing how fortunate we are to do what we do. I said something like, "We don't make widgets, we help people create their future stories." But I also went on to admit remembering that fact was anxiety provoking. These students trust us. Trust demands our respect and requires our care. My president had instructed me (mostly humorously) I needed to give the "best speech of my life" that day, so I was very prepared, maybe overly prepared. So, I surprised myself when I went off my own script and said, "They trust us, they trust us with their dreams and with dreams they don't even know they have yet." What a privilege it is to get to do what we do.
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