By Cindy Walter, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional and Career Services
We began our year not with agendas or outcomes, but with stories. Stories that brought laughter, reflection, and a deeper understanding of one another. At our summer retreat, the Career and Instructional Team came together to launch the year grounded in connection and a shared commitment to culturally sustaining pedagogy through New York State’s CR-SE Framework.
Through personal storytelling, we learned more about one another in meaningful ways. Reflections on my own experiences such as growing up in a Quaker family, where silence was a central part of worship, helped illustrate how early influences continue to shape preferences for reflection and productivity in learning environments today. Others shared equally powerful insights from their own cultural backgrounds. These conversations strengthened our sense of connection and fostered greater understanding, empathy, and compassion across the team.
Throughout the year, we have continued this work through deeper exploration using tools like the cultural identity wheel, which encouraged thoughtful dialogue and self awareness. This ongoing process has surfaced important lessons and reinforced that we have much more work to do. In particular, we recognized the need to more intentionally establish community agreements, especially for new team members, to ensure that all voices feel welcomed and supported. As we continue to deepen our practice, we remain committed to the principles of New York State’s CR-SE Framework and to sustaining and strengthening this work over time.
What has been most powerful is the way this work has shaped us as a team. There is a growing sense of trust and connection where people feel truly seen and valued for who they are and what they bring. We approach one another with empathy, assume positive intent, and know we can reach out without hesitation when we need support. Even though our roles are very different, we have built a shared understanding and a sense that we have one another’s backs. That kind of connection does not happen by chance. It is the result of intentional work, and it is something we continue to nurture.
At the heart of this work is a larger purpose. We believe that in order to create learning environments where students feel seen, valued, and safe, we must first model that experience as adults. By doing this work together, we are building the conditions that can extend beyond our team and into classrooms across our system. Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging, to know they are understood, and to feel that they are part of a community that supports them. This is how the work begins with us and reaches the students we serve.
As we move forward, we remain committed to creating welcoming and affirming environments in all that we do. We have begun incorporating intentional opening activities in our meetings to promote openness, reflection, and shared understanding. This work is a continuous journey, and as a team, we are energized and dedicated to growing together so that every student we serve experiences that same sense of belonging, understanding, and care.