Our Truly Global Community 2020

As I reflect on the past year + and all that we have learned from the pandemic, I am struck by the “global” nature of my last public experience with Global Learning Partners. In the winter of 2020, January to be exact, a group of dedicated teaching professionals gathered over five days at a Bed and Breakfast in Waitsfield VT. This was a public offering of The Foundations of Dialogue Education. What was truly remarkable to me was that this group was truly global. Yes, we had practitioners from Vermont, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maine and Florida but also educational leaders from the Philippines, Guatemala, Canada, and Ethiopia. Over the course of five days, we learned together and explored the value of deep dialogue and shared discovery.  

During one of the last days on our lunch break, about half the group bundled up and went outdoors to the nearby golf course with sleds provided by the B & B hosts. Several of our international colleagues had never experienced snow, let alone the joy of sledding. They laughed, slid, and took pictures to send home of their new experience of frolicking with friends on a sunny, snowy winter day in Vermont. 

Andrea Van Liew 

Partner 

Global Learning Partners