On Outreach & Training: Tiny Moments of Connection
By Laura Martinez
One of my favorite things about being an Outreach and Training Director for IASB is the relationships I develop with board members and superintendents. I get to know them at Division Meetings, regional events, Joint Annual Conference, and especially while doing in-district workshops with them. I see school board members in their world, doing what they choose to do, are passionate about, and spend many long, unpaid hours working for. That’s the side I get to see, through struggles and triumphs.
(As for the superintendents — well, it’s their passion too — but they get paid.)
So I knew going into this year’s Joint Annual Conference that I would be seeing many people I know, all converging in Chicago for a very special occasion, and happy to be there. This is one of my favorite parts of Joint Annual Conference too, seeing people I have worked with once or many times, and it contributes to that magical energy that Conference is filled with. There are lots of “Hi!”s as we pass by on the escalator or in front of the registration desk. I am a stalwart introvert, but I tell you, I absolutely get energized by being with all our members at Conference. My secret extrovert gets to be out. My Conference experience also informs my work, and reinforces my belief in the importance of relationships, specifically the relationships among board members and the board/superintendent relationship. Boards that know each other better work better together, which is not the same thing as boards that agree with each other all the time and always think the same way. Knowing where people are coming from and wanting to learn about each other helps build trust.
But here is something else that I noticed at Conference — the tiny moments of connection that members had with each other throughout the weekend. For example, seeing members engrossed in conversation with a group at a table during a session, or a one-on-one conversation between two people. Board members exchanging contact information with each other. Sharing tips about how to handle challenging situations. Hearing “Oh, thank you so much! I will try that.”
This is crowdsourcing at its best.
Of course, there are amazing offerings at the Conference — uplifting, fascinating General Session speakers; governance best practices from IASB staff; finance presentations; sessions with legislators; legal panels; and an Exhibit Hall, to name a few.
However, I think the networking and connections that board members make with each other at Conference are just as important. Conference has hotels filled with people who volunteer to serve for the good of public education, who struggle with the constraints of OMA, who want to serve the students of their community. In their own communities, board members may feel like lone leaders, but at Conference they are with people who understand their world and can offer support like no one else can. People from all over the state who share the same responsibilities and the same eagerness to learn more. Someone from O’Fallon who can relate to someone from Grayslake. Where else can you find that kind of grouping?
I was in the Friday Focus Workshop called “Tiny Moments,” from which I gladly stole some thoughts, as well as the title and theme of this piece. In that workshop, I saw ways that people can deliberately connect. But I think the theme applies to my Conference experience, as well as to one of the benefits of attending for board members. And I can’t wait to connect like that again next year!
Laura Martinez is Director of Outreach & Training with the Illinois Association of School Boards for the Kishwaukee, Northwest, and Lake divisions.