Shared Bulletin Board - School Years 2020-26 by Doron Jamil Townsell

Seeking clarity with a specific task or deliverable

doron3 — 2020-07-14 13:25:41 UTC

Welcome to the inquiry Bulletin Board

doron3 — 2020-07-15 14:03:07 UTC

This board has been reformatted as a timeline, as some say, "sit-chee-a-tion" (situation). Please add your questions by pressing the "+" icon. Also, scroll the timeline to sift through questions and offer guidance or follow-up questions as needed.

Skill Sharing

2020-07-15 14:21:02 UTC

Does anyone have any organizational/ planning & prioritizing tips, tricks or strategies that they care to share?

Will there be interactive workshops for Ember families to bring them into allinement with the Leadship Index?

2020-07-15 14:36:37 UTC

What is the Ember Way?

2020-07-15 15:11:37 UTC

The Ember Way:
Love and Understanding
A holistic approach: not just acdemics, but the student as a whole and ALL of the aspects of their lives
Trauma-informed teaching
Perspectives of Black and Latinx diasporas integrated into curriculum so students can be educated on their own culture
Family focused
Truth, Trust, Understanding
All our stakeholders are connected
Growth Mindset: being open to being uncomfortable to support your growth
Make learning accessible to students in a nuanced way
Culture-based education
Inquiry-driven education: about choices made in our school and community
Transferable learning: applicable to real-world scenarios
Constant cycle of inquiry and revision for both students and staff
Spiritual upliftment coupled with academics
Transform, Uplift, and Innovate

2020-07-15 18:26:11 UTC

The Ember way is Holistic , Peaceful setting , Mindful Lesson&Ideas , Supportive and Team work !

2020-07-17 15:45:06 UTC

Team Ayo

Team Rafiq Brooklyn Bridge

2020-07-17 15:57:57 UTC

2020-07-17 15:58:52 UTC

2020-07-17 17:18:02 UTC

2020-07-17 18:25:40 UTC

Team Ayo

Collaboration

doron3 — 2020-08-21 19:13:49 UTC

How did you communicate and connect with teammates and other stakeholders this 1st week of school?

Presentations be like...

doron3 — 2021-01-15 17:07:43 UTC

Reflections? Connections?

doron3 — 2022-02-14 12:27:26 UTC

Akoma Presentation

Shout out to Sis. Carol!!

2022-07-21 13:52:31 UTC

All the strength

Lead By Example

2022-07-21 15:15:54 UTC

Brother Rafiq

SHOUTOUT TO SISTER ALEX!!

2022-07-21 15:19:24 UTC

Amazing courage sister

OVERCOMING FEARS

2022-07-21 15:22:44 UTC

Sis Regina

Chasing waterfalls

2022-07-22 13:43:32 UTC

Brothers of Ember

Our Foundational Frameworks

2022-07-25 13:13:45 UTC

What types of questions am I raising? How is inquiry connected to study?

Integration vs. Inclusion

2022-07-25 14:16:49 UTC

2022-07-25 14:17:52 UTC

2022-07-25 16:53:15 UTC

How can I incorporate framework into my day to day life while still growing and adding on?

I WILL TAKE MORE RISK IN MY PROFESSIONAL AND EVERYDAY LIFE !!

2022-08-02 13:35:47 UTC

I will commit to find study partners in areas of growth

2022-08-03 15:01:28 UTC

olivia620 — 2022-08-03 16:39:03 UTC

I am committing to stepping into brave space by using the facets of Banyan tree focused on freely sharing thoughts and feelings along with the inquiry and exploration associated with Heremakhet.

2022-08-15 16:48:31 UTC

I am looking for resources on creating a lesson plan, specifically guidelines around mindfulness and movement, guided exploration, tinkering, design and play, etc.

Reflection IMAP T3

2023-03-10 18:53:55 UTC

Please feel free to offer questions/reflections that you are going to sit with as you plan ahead. You can also dialogue with one another in this space as well. Just leave your name in parentheses at the end of your message. (Bro. Doron)

Summer PD SY23-24

doron3 — 2023-07-24 14:02:40 UTC

Yoga 2023 - Brooklyn Bridge Park

2023-07-26 13:31:20 UTC

How is Economically Relevant Pedagogy and Design Thinking a Revolutionary Act? JH

2023-07-26 13:59:35 UTC

Summer SY25-26

doron3 — 2025-07-21 13:09:59 UTC

Welcome everyone! It's the beginning of SY25-26. Feel free to add reflections, thoughts and questions here.

Brene Brown Reflections

doron3 — 2025-07-22 12:14:19 UTC

Please list the quotes and statements that stood out to you. Feel free to share your reasoning and respond to each other as well. Let's interact and build with one another.

Choice & Agency | Your Invitation

doron3 — 2025-07-22 16:05:26 UTC

What is resonating with you after our discussions this morning? What are you now considering as you engage, study, and share?

Tiffany Griffith

2025-07-22 16:19:06 UTC

Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity

2025-07-22 16:36:04 UTC

What resonates with me is my intentions surrounding how I view choice and agency when I change the lens, how am I viewing the text under. How am I intentionally showing up before I gather data and what new information was gathered that causes a pivot of my thinking.

John Arnold

2025-07-22 16:38:08 UTC

Choices are powerful and the possible consequences of our actions effect personal growth.

Malachi Cassis

2025-07-22 16:45:01 UTC

Given that I’ve seen both sides of the coin here at ember, that being the Staff and Student side I believe that the 2 questions in reference to Nina Simone’s text were built to make us slow down and break apart what it is that we do here, as a normal person I’m not consistently listening to music to dissect and evaluate each lyric for what it is, But given the context of the group exercise, we all needed to slow down and think about what was being said and how it related to the ideas of Liberation and Agency. To me choice & agency is rooted in what is comfortable for me and my being, my group and I then dove into that idea and agreed upon the idea that the entire exercise was a way for us to see that being consciously mindful with our agency outside of what’s comforting for us & more for what’s comforting to others can overall help cultivate this ecosystem where we are all human developers to our students, One may only listen to a song for the tune but as we really broke down the lyrics and tones being used throughout the song in conjunction with the time this song was released and the community it’s for, It becomes something deeper and that’s why we at Ember are so rooted in this idea of choice and agency and to add on “mindfulness” because it allows us to find the root of certain behaviors, actions and motives to connect with ourselves and our students to create a trusting and healthy environment.

Luke Jp

2025-07-22 17:02:23 UTC

From the conversations this morning the idea that everyone has authority over their choices, even the ones we make unconsciously made me reflect about all the times I thought I didn’t have a choice. I think Ember choosing to use choice theory and the practice of agency and liberation is what’s most beneficial to the development and cultivation of our young entrepreneurs. By showing them that they have this freedom, but also letting them know what the consequences of their actions will be, good or bad. This allows students to think metacognitively about their actions before taking them.

(Sister Ardnas) The Power of Choice: "With great power comes great responsibility." as stated by Peter Parker's uncle.

Ardnas — 2025-07-22 17:17:02 UTC

How is the emphasis on the study of "CHOICE" empowering for both the client and the human development practitioner?

EmberGram

doron3 — 2025-07-22 17:46:05 UTC

What does it mean to expand your mind?

(Tatiana) What are specific things you can do personally, to help avoid others feeling "intimidated" when entering a new environment?

tatianafields — 2025-07-23 13:36:16 UTC

Family Bethey

elizabeth1102 — 2025-07-23 13:38:04 UTC

Something about the meditation today was really striking me. The idea of centering not just the body and mind but the breathe and almost the ego was really profound to me and I think throughout the day I will be going back to that idea of recentering.

The Term "Client" -- Brother Michael

2025-07-23 13:38:46 UTC

I am a neophyte in the world of education. The "Ember Way" is all I know with regards to pedagogy. My background is in sales, specifically technical roles in staffing and solutions. So, when I hear the term "client," my PTSD is triggered. I'm not sure how to balance the holistic approach we strive for in this dynamic while also recognizing my previous experiences with the term itself. I wonder if, in time, I will find myself more comfortable with the term. Or if, due to previous traumatic experiences with contracts falling through at midnight, or new hires bailing on a jobsite on their second day, that term will remain enmeshed, embedded, and engraved in the archives of my mind as one of complete servitude and prostration.

mellissa8 — 2025-07-23 13:39:07 UTC

Every behavior is purposeful.

-Sis. Mellissa

Reflection on Choice Theory

ayodeletemple1 — 2025-07-23 13:40:48 UTC

As I reflect on Choice Theory, I’m reminded of something Sister Jennifer shared about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This came up again in conversation with Sister Ayo, particularly around understanding the internal motivations of our clients. These reflections have pushed me to think about how we can intentionally create spaces that empower students by centering their choice and agency.-Ayodele

C

nichola48 — 2025-07-23 13:41:15 UTC

Choice and Agency are essentials. They are core values that shape everything I do.

"CHOICE" Sis. Jeyneline

jeynelinedelacruz — 2025-07-23 13:41:29 UTC

Choice reflects on ones commitment to centering student voice and fostering a learning environment rooted in empathy, trust, and shared power.

Christina Guadagno

christinaguadagno — 2025-07-23 13:43:26 UTC

Reflecting on today's morning meeting, I feel more connected to my colleagues/newfound family here knowing that we all have these fears surrounding vulnerability. To me, it is fear within itself to believe you're the only person in the room that is fearful. When we ground ourselves in empathy and unity, we learn that we aren't that different from our neighbors. We are all sharing this earthly, human experience, an experience that is not always comfortable, but that's okay, and that's what makes it human.

Justin Tineo

2025-07-23 13:53:36 UTC

The core idea is to empower individuals to make their own decisions. Our role is not to control or direct, but to serve as a guide a mirror reflecting their actions and choices, helping them see themselves more clearly.

Why has Ember chosen to center the Ember Way on Inquiry?

imanilynch1 — 2025-07-23 13:55:54 UTC

Inquiry to me means asking questions to get a better understanding, it opens the floor to different perspectives and how one thinks.

It opens the door to shift and keep shifting.

-Imani

Be yo selfie

2025-07-23 13:56:23 UTC

Every day I come in here excited to be in this space again and be myself but my long-standing schema and past experiences and traumas have me hanging on a tightrope juxtaposition of feeling free and questioning this freedom when I am unsure or self-conscious of how I'm being taken. Yet I'm consistently reminded and reassured that being me is ok and wanted and needed. I also see places where I've grown and places where I see myself still growing as well as places where others are growing too.

Choice

2025-07-23 14:29:30 UTC

Choice is our guided direction impacting sense of self. It forces you to remove fear and 'just do'. Choices are everywhere. Choice to speak, choice drivers, choice to think, choice to dance etc. Choices that we make without thinking and others that we make using data around us. It all impacts our growth. (Sister Crystal)

Inquiry & The Ember Way

doron3 — 2025-07-23 15:51:31 UTC

As you reflect on this morning please respond to our opening question, "Why has Ember chosen to center the Ember Way on Inquiry? - You can respond in the comment section here or add your own post in response. Feel free to utilize imagery if it connects along side of your text share.

Why Has Ember Chosen to Center the Ember Way on Inquiry? -- Brother Michael

2025-07-23 16:21:39 UTC

"What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculty ... " (Hamlet)

As Freire points out in his work, Inquiry is what makes someone TRULY human. Our ability to elevate our standing, to engage in challenging discourse in order to effect change, this is paramount to our work as Human Developers. We will not be complacent. We will not be silent in the face of injustice and oppression. We will fight for a better world, one of liberation.

Why has Ember chosen to center the Ember Way on Inquiry ?

2025-07-23 16:23:45 UTC

Ember Charter School has focused on Inquiry based learning with clients and practitioners because it encourages a deeper level of critical thinking opposed to just seeking the “answer”. Leading with inquiry allows listers and the speaker to project a deeper level of connections as we explore multiple concepts/ideas through multiple dimensions. This also encourages a deeper level on engagement and discourse. -Ronece

Tatiana's Reflection

tatianafields — 2025-07-23 16:25:14 UTC

Knowing Inquiry is to gain better knowledge, Ember chose to center its way around it to give people the freedom of choice to ask questions and dive deeper into what they're interested in, instead of following the "normal standards" where you are forced to do and follow those whom are older. Like the picture exemplified yesterday, an ax "shaping" the wood into what they want it to look like, that's what's expected. However, like Glo said "you can be who you wanna be"

Naimah Whitley

2025-07-23 16:30:37 UTC

Coming into Ember I had an open mind, and I didn't quite know what to expect. Going through different activities and having conversations with my colleagues. I am learning to adapt to challenging my critical thinking skills and getting different perspectives. Inquiry is very essential for growth and innovation. At Ember I am able to be expressive with my thoughts and build on my reasoning behind it.

Per spec tive

2025-07-23 16:31:10 UTC

So, in my group we came from many varied vantage points when analyzing and inquiring about the text (F) and what stood out was how many possible interpretations and motivations can come from different people and how important it is and healing it is to talk and collaborate and commune with different people and break out of the boxes we are traditionally placed in and challenge ourselves to dig deeper. This allows us to dismantle preconceived notions, dispel and heal our individual and collective wounds and speak on elephants in the room and learn more about one another and even find common ground or places to honor one another's individual experiences as well. I appreciate this conversation. Vulnerability is an act of love. ~ Sis. Charnae B

John Arnold

2025-07-23 16:31:36 UTC

Inquiry gives you different tools or ways to affect those we serve.

Ember and Inquiry

ericasmith19 — 2025-07-23 16:33:15 UTC

Inquiry is and always has been vital to the development of humanity and civilization. Asking questions and sharing knowledge with each other is what makes us human because basic survival (eating, breathing, sleeping, reproducing…) is essential to the upkeep of humans but what truly allows us to thrive is community and cultivating systems in which we can learn and create together. To be a human developer is to create a space that allows for a holistic human experience.--Erica

2025-07-23 16:34:43 UTC

Ember chose to center the Ember Way on inquiry because inquiry fuels curiosity, and empowers clients to construct meaning for themselves.

Why has Ember chosen to center the Ember way on Inquiry? -Cleo

cleodine — 2025-07-23 16:38:49 UTC

Ember has chosen his way to help clients and developers think critically. Questions open your mind pass the information that is being given. It can also help you consider other possibilities or viewpoints. Sometimes we can be so narrow minded in our values or beliefs that inquiry can help you understand or consider other possibilities. In doing the activity today I was very concentrated on task completion, which is my usual mindset. When I asked Bro Damien the question of direction for my questions on point of view for the text, he said it was quantity over quality. My questions can have any direction. Then I opened to many possibilities of questions. I realized my questions were geared on possible viewpoints and possible reasons I can't tap into those viewpoints.

Ajamu Griszell

2025-07-23 16:41:54 UTC

Centering Ember around inquiry allows for the removal of some assumptions. By leading with inquiry, biases, uninformed decisions and pre-determined outcomes are minimized in lieu of factual data. Allowing clients to inject their own ideas and thoughts into the learning process by questioning the information being delivered should allow for greater understanding and expand the thinking of the clients to discover new ideas or directions.

Why do we need to use Inquiry?

erickajenkins — 2025-07-23 16:44:16 UTC

Sister Ericka - To be truly human, we must do more than just survive or follow orders, we must think critically and act with purpose to change unjust systems. In other words: To be fully human is to question, to reflect, and to act for justice. Without inquiry and action, people live passively, disconnected from their power to shape the world. So, silence and obedience are not just personal choices, they protect injustice and block liberation. Become fully human, not just bodies surviving in someone else’s story, but people reclaiming our own voice and power.

What would you like to explore? 7.24 (Thursday)

doron3 — 2025-07-24 16:56:58 UTC

As it relates to the launch of our courses, the Partners would like your feedback. What would you like to explore or continue to explore in your various Partner-led coursework/professional development this SY25-26?

Team 2 - African Burial Ground 2025

2025-07-25 16:58:48 UTC

Indigenous Peoples!

2025-07-25 17:28:56 UTC

Remember and celebrate.

Team 3

2025-07-25 19:24:01 UTC

2025-07-25 20:16:43 UTC

Team 2, Stay True ✌🏽 #ToneSetters

Bk baby! 🙌🏽

2025-07-25 21:02:25 UTC

Brooklyn Bridge

Team 4 “

2025-07-27 00:32:55 UTC