Dear Meeting Street Schools staff,
I am excited to share where we are with The Movement Factor at Meeting Street Schools.
In December, Brian Durbin and I engaged in a series of conversations and experiences with students, staff, leaders, and families of Meeting Street Schools.
- We traveled to every one of the 4 campuses, conducting a total of 12+ hours of focus group discussions across parents/families, students, and staff.
- We analyzed over 800 survey responses from students, families, staff, and leaders.
- We conducted 25+ one-on-one conversations with network leaders, principals, and those staff who expressed particular interest.
- We talked to staff members who have been here for 3 weeks, and those who have been here for over a decade – and everything in between.
- We talked to family members who have joined Meeting Street fairly recently, to those who have sent grandchildren here since the very beginning.
- We talked to several staff members who also have their own children enrolled at Meeting Street – a special investment in the community.
- Over 40 staff members opted in to join our focus groups, either on their prep periods or after school – which we do not take lightly, given the hectic schedule of a school-based staff member.
- We directly engaged over 50 students from grades 3 through 7, across each campus.
In January, we had a chance to share some of the initial insights and ideas from this “Discovery” process with the Executive Leadership Team of Meeting Street Schools during their retreat. This even included senior leaders participating as “students” in a P.E. class that I “taught” based on my 6th grade P.E. class – complete with squats, push-ups, planks, Movement Choice Time, and breathwork. [I was impressed with their effort, grit, and positive attitude! :)]
We have now started to share and discuss these ideas with principals and others at each campus, and hope to drive this effort forward in the coming weeks and months.
This work may look different at each campus, based on context. We hope you’ll stay tuned as all of this evolves.
It’s important to say this: we aim to be intentional in our approach. We aspire for this effort to be sustained over the long-term, and not be a fly-by-night initiative that loses momentum as other priorities arise. Therefore, we take inspiration from this quote from Meeting Street Schools founder Ben Navarro:
“If you want to get somewhere fast, go slow.”
……..
Above all, I have a deep sense of gratitude and awe for the work that you are doing every day.
I’ve taught over 1,000 kids over the last 23 years.
One thing I’ve learned: the moment you stop teaching or leading in a school every day, you forget how difficult it is.
We are trying to keep that ethos at the very center of our work.
It has been an honor to witness first-hand the commitment you have to life-changing outcomes for students.
……..
If there’s one takeaway we have from our time thus far, it’s this: we are deeply optimistic about the future of Meeting Street Schools. We are excited for the road ahead.
Thank you. Truly.
With deep reverence and gratitude,
Jeff Li, Founder, The Movement Factor
Brian Durbin, Director of Wellness Programming, Beemok
