Appreciative Inquiry at Friends' Central School

Appreciative Inquiry at Friends’ Central School

Friends’ Central’s Board of Trustees, faculty, students, parents, alumni/ae, and staff engaged in the Appreciative Inquiry process, spending the 2015-2016 school year exploring and reflecting upon our community’s strengths and imagining a future where they are used as a springboard for change and innovation.

Appreciative Inquiry’s simple yet brilliant proposition is that organizations create their most visionary and productive change when they begin long-range planning with a unified and shared understanding of what is already excellent and then build upon this shared understanding, bridging to new and exciting visions for the future.

A most amazing revelation came out of our year of Appreciative Inquiry exploration. Hundreds of alumni/ae, parents, students, faculty, staff, and Board members from 1941 to 2016 share a consistent and cherished Friends’ Central School experience:

extraordinary teachers whose intellect and passion are infectious and whose care for students extends well beyond the confines of curriculum.

From the Appreciative Inquiry process emerged the following eight themes that express the community’s view of the Friends’ Central Experience:

WHO WE ARE A place of Passionate Teaching and Learning; where children experience a Safe Space for Open Hearts and Minds; with teachers Nurturing Individuals’ Skills, Needs, and Interests; and Cultivating Meaningful Relationships; teaching, modeling, and encouraging Kindness, Respect, and Joy; Valuing Every Voice; and setting the stage for Student Empowerment for Learning and for Life; all grounded in Quaker Values: The Heart of a Strong, Connected Community

... in the words of those who know us best

Passionate Teaching and Learning

Student Empowerment for Learning and For Life

Quotes from the hundreds of surveys completed by students, alumni/ae, parents, faculty, staff, Board members, and administrators best illustrate the depth of feeling behind the eight themes: “ FCS has fantastic teachers, small classes, and a faculty committed to a particular vision of education: ethical, creative, and empowering.” – FCS Alum “ I love the balance teachers in all divisions hold between being nurturing and doing real academic preparation. FCS is an intellectual and loving community.” – FCS Parent “ I’d probably have to say that the teachers are the best thing about my classes here at FCS...I have had phenomenal teachers each year at FCS who not only support me in the classroom but continue to reach out and give me support outside of class.”

– FCS Upper School Student “We are an intellectual faculty; we love to talk about ideas.”

– FCS Teacher

“ One of the best things about FCS teachers is that they give us fun but challenging work.”

– FCS Lower School Student “ When I got to college, I was easily able to do the writing and research, I was way ahead of my peers, some of whom had never written more than a five-page paper.” – FCS Alum “ Many of my teachers shared a genuine passion for their subject matter, and that inspired me to want to learn as much as I could. Classes were interesting, and projects and assessments were thoughtfully prepared. My teachers were also incredibly generous with their time.”

– FCS Alum “ What I most appreciated about my teachers was a level of interaction that was friendly and respectful; not precisely peer-like, but full of mentorship and an equally shared excitement about learning and ideas.”

– FCS Alum “ The teachers are the most incredible educators. I have children in other schools, and there is just no comparison!”

– FCS Parent

“ The FCS experience taught me to think for myself, analyze different viewpoints, and come up with my own independent conclusions. In addition to the intellectual side, the spiritual side was so ingrained in every activity that it was just ingrained in who we became.”

– FCS Alum “I wasn’t just one of many, I was valued because I was me.”

– FCS Alum

“ I felt warmth and acceptance from the FCS community. I strived to do my best because I felt people truly cared about me.”

– FCS Alum “ My teachers were wonderful and challenged me to think beyond my assumptions.”

– FCS Alum “ Whenever I visit FCS, I feel like I am going back to see old friends. My teachers are so excited to see me and genuinely interested in my life path. That kind of equal, one-on-one interaction has defined me as a human being in so many ways and has taught me to reach out for help, advice, and guidance.”

– FCS Alum “ At Friends’ Central, we learned to listen to all sides of an argument and seek a result that was fair to all parties.”

– FCS Alum

“ I love that FCS uses Meeting for Worship as a tool for reflecting on social and intellectual experiences at school.”

– FCS Parent “ It is the rule rather than the exception that the adults at FCS go the extra mile for students.”

– FCS Parent

“ I love sitting around the dinner table and hearing about the emotional and intellectual insights my children gain from Quaker principles, Meeting for Worship, and all-school assemblies.”

– FCS Parent “ The teachers and adults really strive to see a student succeed. I find that very important which in a learning environment, because if a teacher is not dedicated to your success then the student will not be dedicated either.”

– FCS Middle School Student “ Whenever I don’t feel prepared for a test or quiz, or get what’s happening in class, I ask for help. Teachers are always there for us.”

– FCS Middle School Student “ The best thing about the teachers here is their diverse background. They each have their own identity that they bring to school. They bring this knowledge to the classroom, which allows for richer and more meaningful discussions.” – FCS Upper School Student

A Safe Space for Open Hearts and Minds

Nurturing Individuals’ Skills, Needs, and Interests

Cultivating Meaningful Relationships

Kindness, Respect, and Joy

Valuing Every Voice

Quaker Values: The Heart of a Strong, Connected Community The Appreciative Inquiry process culminated in a retreat that included over 100 parents, student, faculty, staff, and Board members. We asked ourselves two key questions:

What is the world calling for?

What provocative propositions can we imagine that build from our strengths and answer the world’s call?

All the wisdom gained through Appreciative Inquiry has been passed on to the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees for incorporation into a planning process that will begin in January 2017. Stay tuned!