Greetings,
The other week I read this piece by Ray Thompson on "The Anatomy of a
Connector." I do connecting work in FL and liked this articulation of
the traits, priorities, and actions of those unique people in community
we call "connectors." I'll post John McKnight's introduction first and
post my own reactions separately. I'm eager to hear others' responses.
(apologies for the formatting... this is my first time posting a discussion topic!-AD)
Friends;
As some of you know, we have been working on learning what a person designated to be a "school community connector" can contribute to a new era of school-community relationships.
Ray Thompson was the school-community connector who led this exploration in a new school on the Southside of Chicago. As a result of this experience, he wrote a reflection regarding the nature of a connector. I thought you would be interested in his ideas.
It seems to me that people concerned about local communities have
emphasized the "need" for leadership development. Ray's work suggests
to us that of equal, if not greater importance, is an emphasis on
connectorship - a talent that doesn't require training but can use
illumination, encouragement and support.
John McKnight
updated by @april-doner: 10/24/16 04:45:18PM