Fire What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing space. Too much of a good thing, too many logs packed in too tight can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would. So building fires requires attention to the spaces in between, as much as to the wood. When we are able to build open spaces in the same way we have learned to pile on the logs, then we can come to see how it is fuel, and absence of the fuel together, that make fire possible. We only need to lay a log lightly from time to time. A fire grows simply because the space is there, with openings in which the flame that knows just how it wants to burn can find its way. —Judy Sorum Brown.
With thanks to Judy Sorum Brown for granting us permission to reproduce her poem.
Shifts in Professional Learning: Sparking Connections, Curiosity, and Wonder Kathreen Riel “Education is the kindling of a flame not the filling of a vessel.” —Socrates
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rom 2019 to 2021, the ECE Professional Development Bursary Fund provided financial support to over 3,300 educators throughout British Columbia. Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre administered these funds on behalf of the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the Government of Canada. Three streams of funding were established: one for individuals seeking financial support for ongoing training; one for non-profit agencies to deliver professional development opportunities outside their regularly scheduled programming; and a third stream for local agencies to organize communities of practice. Twenty-five communities of practice brought together educators to connect, linger, and share conversations and reflections.
A campfire is a metaphor that could characterize their experiences as they tended to new connections, kindled ideas, and fueled reflective discussions. Several community of practice sessions started with the poem Fire by Judy Sorum Brown (reproduced at left). This poem conveys a context in which educators experienced deeper connections with new ideas, per-
spectives, and questions. The poem also provides us with insights about the impact of these communities of practice on educators. What makes a fire burn is space between logs, a breathing space. Many of these communities of the practice started during the pandemic. At the time, educators were already dealing with constantly changing precautions and regulations. One educator explained her situation in this way: Change saturation can be so overwhelming when everything feels like it is out of your control. There was a change to our structure as an organization and then COVID hit, which is like living in “limboland” on a daily basis. To ask people to come together to talk deeply about values, perceptions, and practice during this time was a huge ask. (Becky Kirkham, Boys and Girls Club, Okanagan) Despite the unpredictable working conditions, over 350 educators participated in 25 communities of practice in 22 locations around BC. These community of practice sessions became spaces for many educators to decompress
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