Edjacent is proud to welcome our latest designer, esteemed retired principal LouAnne Metzger! After meeting with LouAnne in person to discuss what it means to be a designer, she sent me a thoughtful email about her interest and we decided to create a blog post out of it. If you share LouAnne’s interest, consider becoming an Edjacent member by clicking here.
I hope to every god you have the guts to do what needs doing. I hope you will find the cracks in the world and wedge them wider, so the light of other suns shines through; I hope you will keep the world unruly, messy, full of strange magics; I hope you will run through every open Door and tell stories when you return.
Why am I interested in Edjacent?
That’s a really big question! When joining any group, community, etc., the first thing I consider is whether their values are aligned with my values. The answer here is yes, yes, and YES! Edjacent’s values especially speak to my heart, which values freedom (freedom for all – especially from judgement to be who we were meant to be), and to my head, which values the ability to exercise our personal choices to achieve that freedom. I see this as using my agency—voice and choice—for the collective greater good. (At Trantwood Elementary School we called this acting locally to impact globally.) Deep in our hearts, we all have a passion and I believe the world would benefit from each person realizing their passion to fulfill their beautiful purpose.
Also, Edjacent affords the opportunity to learn and grow with others. To me, Daniel Pink has it right – people crave autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Edjacent provides the platform to work towards all three at the right time, with the right people, in the right places for the right reasons.
Clearly the pandemic has caused many to go into great self-reflection and reorder their priorities. So for me, it’s about involving myself in something bigger than myself so that we not only survive, we also thrive.
Lastly, as you well know, Education is complex. While serving in schools for the last 33 years, it has become more so partly because we know better and therefore, want to do better. This complexity demands we come together to collectively ensure our grandchildren’s grandchildren enjoy peace, prosperity, and a healthy place to live. (As a baby boomer, I’m sorry to say we didn’t do a great job ensuring this for our future and as a result, I am committed to doing better.)
During my leadership tenure, I learned that one of my strengths is building leadership capacity. I believe leadership at all levels in schools is vital to a school’s long term and short term success if we are to serve (and we should) our children, community, nation, and world well. To serve our children by actualizing our school goals, each school member has to be simultaneously committed to the targets and to feel free to exercise their agency to realize the intended outcomes. This requires intentional thought and planning on the part of the leaders, and I would like to come alongside to support and enhance this process.
So what else about me that may not be on my resumé? What you may not see is that I care deeply… about children, learning, living, our natural world, food, and faith. I believe in the promised land (thank you Bruce Springsteen!) and what brings us joy, peace, and satisfaction with life is working towards the promise land – whatever that may be for each individual. Currently, I have four grandchildren (who are perfect I might add!), I am an oyster farmer growing oysters for Lynnhaven River NOW, a tree hugger committed to sustainability, and an advocate for a more child-centered world. I love to read, bike, walk, paddleboard, snowboard, garden, paint furniture, and be with my family. I seek wonder and awe – every day.
Would you like to learn more with/from LouAnne? LouAnne believes that EVERYONE deserves time to think, process and plan.To help educators imagine what is possible, achieve their heart’s desire, move from TRANSACTIONAL to TRANSFORMATIONAL and affirm the immensely important work they are doing, a thought partner can make all the difference! She is looking for thought partners and would love to work with YOU!
