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What Our Partners Say
Charles Irish
Consultant and Former Superintendent of Schools, Medina, Ohio I believe the key to
saving our schools is reconnecting communities
with schools.
What really moved me was watching people dig
into their values and learn about themselves.
Those were "aha!" moments.
Harwood gave us a way of talking with each
other that we've never
experienced before. People moved from just
talking about what each of
them wanted to what it means to others. The
talk was more meaningful.
It allowed me to understand myself in relation
to the community.
We realized that we don't really need
permission to do something.
When a principal held a meeting and told
people what he was planning to
do at his school, a woman stood up and said,
"I'm sorry, but we talk
about things in this community before we do
anything."
We've got a sense of ownership, of power, that
we can control things. We've got hope that we
may be able to make a difference.
I'm kind of shy, but it gave me the feeling
that maybe there's a place in this for me where
I can really do something.
By connecting with each other, I felt a deep
respect for people, for
what they are about, a faith in the capacity
of people working together.
When people participate in real dialogue, they
get the feeling that
they can create something new. Rich spoke from
his own belief and
helped me develop faith in my community to
work in a way that elevates
us all. It makes for discovery, life-changing
experiences.