Northridge Staff Retreat

     One of the best things about working at NSM is conscientious, supportive co-workers. Each person here is committed one hundred percent to creating an environment where everyone is learning. The staff includes educators who have taught at public or private schools, vocational schools, and at universities. We're diverse geographically, with ex-pats from Australia, Canada, Cuba, Great Britain, Ireland, Spain and the United States supplementing our Mexican administrators and teachers. Every so often we play basketball or soccer after school, and the last Friday of each month is a staff-only development day. I consider myself very lucky to have joined this international community.

     Before the school year started in the third week of August, all of us teachers traveled about three hours by bus to a retreat center for a two day excursion. I remember upon boarding the bus that the group seemed pretty segregated, with the Spanish-speakers chatting away and the English staff mostly listening to iPods or reading quietly. I was a bit concerned, and made a note to myself to observe how willing people would be to cross the language barrier day-to-day. Using your second language continuously is difficult, and I wasn't too sure yet how this reality would pan out at NSM.

     But moving on...I'm going to take a moment to invoke stereotype, for comedy's sake. Of course we stopped along the way for tacos. A lot of tacos, complete with cilantro, onions, salsa roja, and salsa verde on the side. Our group essentially took over a roadside restaurant, leading staff to hurriedly carry over tables and chairs from every corner of the room. Eventually, we had seating for all forty or so attendees.

     The retreat center was quite the surprise, with impressive Gothic architecture and lush greenery all across the campus. There was also plenty to keep the body busy, with a soccer field, tennis court, and track. It was especially nice as a change of pace because NSM is located in a low-income suburb, meaning little to no flowers or trees to be seen and enjoyed. We were very fortunate throughout the trip to have clear, sunny skies energizing us in our activities and conversations.

     The lectures covered a lot of topics- building a school identity, developmental stages of children and effective communication to name a few. We were joined on this trip by an education professional from Spain, who delivered the talks with vigor and wisdom. In preparation for the imminent start of school, we were given the overarching theme of service to meditate on. What were some ways in which we could think of others before ourselves while on the trip? What were we willing to give up to make the most out of the experience? These thoughts guided all of us throughout the retreat.

     The evenings were best for getting to know each other. Several teachers brought their guitars with them, which allowed me to organize a spur-of-the-moment jazz trio- Michael on bass guitar, Caesar on acoustic guitar, and myself on clarinet. A few of the Mexican coordinators led some local dances; the reward for humiliating yourself was a shiny new tie. Traditional Mexican folk songs were sung, and many personal stories were shared. For those who ventured out of the main group, some gathered on the second floor balcony to talk, while others took the opportunity to reflect on their own.

     All in all, I think it was a very successful outing, particularly because there are so many new teachers at Northridge this year. A situation likes this means that time outside of work to build rapport is especially important, and I'm thankful that the administration has taken this into account. We are currently in the sixth week of school, and the NSM 2013-14 staff has so far proven to be a very cohesive and innovative team.