The dominant society or group within believes they control the conversation. What would happen if we trusted each other and made ourselves vulnerable? What would happen if we acknowledged and accepted differences? It takes courage, but it is possible. It takes us to acknowledge the other and reach out. In those moments of vulnerability and courage, we expose our self in ways that take us outside comfort zones.
There is courage in vulnerability
One sits on the edge;
The perimeter
Or margins
Not hidden in the crowd.
Expand boundaries–
Encourage and pull
Do not discourage and pull
Make invisible visible
Give a name to the other.
Create spaces;
Not for agreement
But, where agreement meets
On the edges
Reveal the other in your welcome.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Love this! Such wonderful powerful words!
Thank you for the appreciation.
Between your last post and this post, I am a bit overwhelmed. I wanted to say something yesterday. Many of the same thoughts and feelings were brought to my consciousness the past few days. I have been studying the Law of Attraction since 2007. I admit I still have much to learn and am challenged on a daily basis. All of which means I am growing daily. Thank you for sharing and teaching. Neale Donald Walsch, stated it can be a lonely journey. I am starting to realize that it is only lonely if you do not reach out and share yourself and accept others for who they are and want to be. Learn from each other. Thank you, Ivon.
You are welcome Cher. I am finding the same thing with reaching out and making it a shared journey. Last weekend gave me additional courage and I feel it even in the virtual community.
Thanks for your words. It’s so easy to stay confined in our comfort zones, and it truly does take courage to step out and acknowledge the people around us. Your post has reminded me of the book East of Eden by Steinbeck. Many of his characters lack the courage to get out of their own world. It’s easy to stay confined, but it’s also lonely. Thanks for a post that offers hope and inspires!
I glad to hear it offers hope and inspiration. It takes courage to step outside the walls we have built for ourselves. I struggle each day with that.
Dear Ivon,
Sometimes a few words are like a code that gets deciphered deep down in the genetic structure (or deeper?) and rings like a bell calling to be heard and to become a deed – these last words are like that for me: “Reveal the other in your welcome.” Thank you for that!
You are welcome. I am glad it rang a bell and resonated.
I like this idea of expanding boundaries by sitting on the edge. Great food for thought. It’s very easy to get sucked in thoughnisn’t it? From edge to the centre “where it’s at”.
Yes, it is. We feel the false comfort found in hiding when we are fully surrounded. When we stand out, our blemishes are obvious. It might be why a teacher, like Jesus, found comfort on the margins. There is humanness could be revealed and seen.
this should be the spirit of every gathering!
It should and what a world if it was.
It is wonderful what happens in a group when we are willing to be vulnerable.
It truly is. The payment is being held.
where agreement meets on the edges — well said! Thank you Ivon!
You are welcome Amy.
I could empathise a lot with that..thank you
I can to, each day. It is hard not to just melt into the crowd.
I like the message and tone. I found that it stopped being “me” and “them” when I joined the group and became one with them, seeking and honoring similarities, while respecting, acknowledging, and honoring areas where we were complementary or brought ideas and concepts to each other that might be worthy of discussion and consideration.
Russ