Trying to stay COVID-free during the pandemic is a real challenge. Hand washing, social distancing, avoiding travel, and double-masking each day, month after month is exhausting. The mental toll for many can be steep. I have been able to stay positive and happy during COVID not only by keeping my body healthy (rest, regular exercise,…
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For most of my life, I have been somewhat a quiet kid when it comes to speaking up. But over the years I have learned that it is one of the most important things when it comes to being female. It’s advice I received from my female role models and from my own experiences in…
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On the last day of a recent virtual workshop for educators, a passionate teacher asked, “But what about my students who I know have hard lives…what about them?” I took a deep breath to let her words sink in. A half a dozen of my former students flashed into my mind’s eye. Antwan’s story jumped…
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GYLI has been an incredibly formative part of my summers in high school, but one memory that stands out to me was the Simon Bailey Memorial Climb to 11,017 feet above sea leve My small group embarked for our culminating hike in the dry, brittle heat of the New Mexico desert. Although I had prepared…
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I have been associated with GYLI as an educator since 2004 and have so many memories and friendships that have put me in the place I am today. The beauty of that “place” is that I have so many opportunities to weave our organization’s ideals into my work. The central ideas of celebrating our multicultural…
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Racial incidents broke out into the open in every school I led. A third-grader turned to his black classmate and taunted, “Get out of line. You have to drink from a different fountain.” Or, a girl’s name appeared on the stall wall in the boy’s bathroom with an Asian slur. Or, a junior turned to…
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Bringing connection and energy to an online platform, our GYLI staff, coordinators and a few board members gathered via Zoom to ask, “How are you?” with an intention to listen deeply to one another. We pondered our effectiveness in delivering meaningful online lessons. Across the world, people collectively are doing the same thing – social…
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GYLI was a truly transformational experience for me for many reasons, the main being that it gave me the gift of connection. While on the Mystic Whaler for my Year One experience, I learned about my connection with the Earth, with my community, and with myself (just to name a few). To be able to…
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Lawrence School students love going on GYLI summer institutes. My students and I agree that our summer experiences invite us to consider our humanity in relation to our essence, the essence of others, the essence of all living beings. Our lessons urge us to consider our responsibility to our communities. We return from our trips…
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Our last blog post spoke of belonging as a responsibility to push back on systems and structures without repercussions. This month, we turn to give thanks and appreciation for that which we are grateful, in this season of Thanksgiving. For me, that is family; there’s no place better to experience a sense of belonging. But…
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