Professional Development Day at GDS

Last Thursday afternoon and evening and all day Friday, the faculty and many staff joined together to listen to Jaimie P. Cloud of the Cloud Institute as she spoke at our annual IOI (Improvement of Instruction) workshop.

Jaimie's topic was Education for Sustainability and she brought a wealth of technical and educational information for the group to consider as GDS begins taking on the serious topic of sustainable practice.

After we gathered at the Koury Convention Center on Thursday afternoon, Jaimie introduced "The Fish Game" simulation. In this exercise, we all participated in an interactive, interdisciplinary activity that combined systems thinking, ecological systems, and economics for a deeper understanding of our role in moving toward a more sustainable future - a future where everyone could live well and the fish stock would be sustained.

The game was played in groups of six or eight people with each playing the role of fisherman. Each fisherman took turns fishing from the ocean in the middle of the table. After each fisherman had taken a turn, we counted how many fish were left and grew the remaining stock at a 25% rate. No group made it past three rounds before eliminating all the fish. After several tries at limiting each fisherman's catch, some groups were able to figure out how to sustain the stock of fish so that everyone could remain employed. It was not easy to do.

Thursday evening found us enjoying some wonderful wines, a delicious dinner and a presentation by sculpture Frank Russell, who has created all of the fish sculptures found outside the south entrance of the Lower School wing. Frank spoke about his background in art and the work that he is currently doing. He went on to speak at length about the design and idea behind the "globe" that is now featured on the lawn between the Lower School and the Administration building.

Friday morning, we all returned to the school and met in the Dillard Gym where Jaimie spoke at some length about how we measure quality of life and what indicators we might use. The rest of the day was spent identifying issues surrounding the creation of sustainable environments and engaging in activities.

I found the workshops both engaging and educational. There is much work to be done in creating a more sustainable outlook, and I'm glad that we have begun the journey. Our students and their children will greatly benefit from the steps we take today.