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Here’s more information on program offerings - governance training, leadership coaching, Building Better Teams retreats, customized workshops - from Julie Faulstich and Stony Creek Strategy.
Contact us - always happy to chat!
It’s May - let’s have some whimsical British fun, shall we?
Hello to all of you sprinting through the 100 days of May!
It’s exhausting but there’s a sweetness to the May experience, too - all the culminations and celebrations, the bittersweet experience of wishing those students moving on to their next educational experience well and the anticipation of a few months of relative quiet.
I just returned from my “holibob” in London (sometimes Britishisms have such an amusing nursery cast to them…) where I visited with my niece and her husband and everything seemed slightly sprinkled with fairy dust - the weather, all activities, many meals, the hotel - all superb. I am always hoping for surprises and transcendence and insight on any trip and this one delivered. I spent a day wandering through a beloved old haunt that is embracing the 21st century with sophistication and thoughtfulness (the V&A Museum - truly a unique institution). Another day I basically wandered into the Royal Courts of Justice to discover it is open to the public for self-guided tours so I had a long wander in a building that is part stunning Victorian monument to the unbending and eternal value of justice and part busy working courthouse where fraying laminated signs are taped up by the information desk about where to drop off your completed legal paperwork. No old school wigs to be seen but lots of professionals wearing black.
I also thought a lot about curiosity - where it comes from, how it manifests, what it leads to, how it can connect people and keep people at a distance - and I’ll be writing about that soon.
Link of the Month
Is AI Enhancing Education or Replacing It? - by Clay Shirky
Chronicle of Higher Ed - Free with account
The best, most succinct commentary on the central tension of gen AI in education I’ve read thus far.
Tech thought leader and NYU vice provost Shirky has written an insightful piece that will make you wonder if “AI literacy” and training students to use AI “well” is futile in the face of existing incentives and basic human nature. The more fruitful path will ultimately be reorienting education towards student experience and reflection, not assignment outcomes, but that is a long road and a lot of changing systems within systems within systems to get there.
Shirky also writes with compassion about the sadness a lot of faculty are experiencing.
“The utility of written assignments relies on two assumptions: The first is that to write about something, the student has to understand the subject and organize their thoughts. The second is that grading student writing amounts to assessing the effort and thought that went into it. At the end of 2022, the logic of this proposition — never ironclad — began to fall apart completely. The writing a student produces and the experience they have can now be decoupled as easily as typing a prompt, which means that grading student writing might now be unrelated to assessing what the student has learned to comprehend or express.”
Boss Skills Lab update
Registrations are robust for the pilot Boss Skills Lab this fall and there are just a few seats left. If you have any interest, reach out to chat, hit return on this email or email me at jfaulstich@stonycreekstrategy.com.
This is a unique program where each session will focus on a management skill and the homework is trying out that skill in your own leadership practice, then reporting back. As a pilot, it will also include 90 minutes of 1-1 time with me to discuss and reflect on your leadership. And, as a pilot, this will be an extra-unique experience as I’ll be seeking input on what works and what can be improved about the this program. Detailed info here!
Women Leaders Cohort for 25-26
Finding and Leaning into Your Authentic Authority 25-26 cohort
Jane Moulding of SmarterWisdom and I are embarking on our third cohort of women leaders next year. This is for student facing senior administrators and the core of the program is learning and working within a peer consultant protocol to unpack leadership dilemmas. Check out more information by clicking on the link above. Jane and I have had a wonderful experience with the past two cohorts of talented women leaders and we can’t wait to work with the next crew! Hit return or shoot me an email at jfausltich@stonycreekstrategy.com if you’re interested.
Other Ways to Work With Me
I’ve been engaging in a number of conversations about coaching for next year, particularly with women leaders who are contemplating or about to embark on a new leadership role. I see coaching as a relationship that provides space for you to be you, to be honest and in return to be supported as well as gently challenged to reflect and consider. I believe the coaching relationship can be a unique place where you investigate and get curious about your natural tendencies and inclinations as a leader and think about where to lean in, how to adjust when you need to and in what ways you want to grow.
Check out the Stony Creek Strategy services page if you are interested in working with me on coaching, strategy or workshops or a senior admin retreat where we focus on real challenges facing your school.
You know the drill! Contact me by hitting reply to this email or at jfaulstich@stonycreekstrategy.com or reach out here to chat.
Upcoming Events
May 7th - “Balancing Personal Values with Shifts in Institutional Direction” webinar - Association of Academic Leaders “Maymester” program
ED Sarah Hanawald and I will discuss a topic that can cover everything from dealing with changes in instructional time to considering how the institution is supporting your growth (or not). (For AAL members - and if your school isn’t a member, what’s stopping you? Check out their amazing resources!)
June 12-13 - “Creating and Leading High Performing Teams” - Leadership Roundtable (in person)- TABS, Episcopal School, Alexandria VA
August - “Navigating Tough Talks - Connecting with Complicated Parents and Managing Up, Down and Across” Online course - Association of Academic Leaders
This is a “choose your own adventure” course where you can opt for either parents or management - or you can do both! (For AAL members)
October - “Communications Skills for Board/Head Partnership” - SAIS Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA
More in the works…