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Our "brain drain" discussion this afternoon shed some light on the individual personalities in the room. The free word association was not only refreshing following an intense morning session on our expectations for the Institute, but quite representative of the different cultures/interests represented in the group.  I was surprised how easily I could tell who taught at a private versus public school or who worked with "normal" students versus those with learning disabilities, just by which three words they instantly thought of when they heard "education," "schools," "students," inquiry," "science" and "conversation."  It was also interesting to see the different "themes" that arose in each list of words; for some categories very physical descriptions were used, while others elicited responses that ranged from abstract ideas to colors. 

I think "conversation" might have been the most important category on the board, since conversation is exactly what we are trying foster and improve throughout the next three weeks.  Education is nothing if not an exercise in humanity, and for this reason dialogue between teachers and students (as well as between multiple teachers) is necessary in order to implement change.  How are ideas supposed to be furthered if they are not articulated?  Sometimes the risk of being "wrong," whether it come from a cultural, emotional or physical barrier, is too strong to overcome the importance of a thought--this is exactly the problem affecting our schools.  It is necessary, in the very least, to be open-minded and not judge too hastily, when beginning a dialogue.  It is excellent to be versed in the background of whoever you are speaking with so as to overcome cultural/language differences.  Are tolerance, patience and understanding the miracle attributes needed to make our education system reach its full potential?