“The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives.” Audre Lorde

Participants will explore the paths that led us to our vocations as theological educators. We will examine the ways that our diverse experiences inform our teaching so that we can fully claim our authentic selves. It is only by connecting to our authentic teaching identity that we can sustain ourselves as educators during these times. We will also explore how this work of “scrutiny” can lead to our personal thriving, which can then engender hope for our communities.

Participants can expect to:

• Investigate and reflect our own narratives as they relate to teaching
• Develop practices to deploy methods of integrating our our journeys with our classrooms
• Experience collegial work in an environment that is relaxing and restorative
• Imagine ways of teaching and learning that evoke curiosity, joy, and hope

The hybrid workshop will gather for six online sessions and an in-person summer session at the Wabash Center in Crawfordsville, IN. Sessions will include small group and plenary discussions, structured and unstructured social time, and time for personal and communal growth, relaxation, restoration, and shared meals.

Goals

1. To excavate and nurture your authentic identity as a teacher
2. To transform your teaching with this authenticity
3. To translate your vocational work into communal sustainability
4. To connect our efforts for communal sustainability back to practices that lead to our own sustainability and flourishing for our teaching selves.