Cohort 14 began their year together in May, 2021 spending hours on Zoom as listeners, as engaged learners, and in numerous deep dialogues with each other. While reading, writing, creating, and exploring the world of leadership and early childhood through many diverse perspectives, they came to know one another well, fondly known as the 14ers. Through all of this, there were two words that kept resurfacing for this group: Brutiful and COREage.
The past year has been a year of acknowledging, sometimes resisting, and ultimately embracing the both/and of life. Brutiful is the combination of beautiful and brutal and attributed to Glennon Doyle, podcaster of We Can Do Hard Things. So much of this past year was both hard and amazing. This year brought challenges professionally and personally that no other cohort of Buell Fellows has experienced in the program. The pulls and tugs on their time as they prioritized, attended to, and chose where to put their energy when there was just so much to do in contexts that continue to rapidly change! And we want to express our gratitude, on behalf of the full faculty team, for each person in this cohort choosing to prioritize their own learning and leadership growth throughout the year.
The past year has been a year of acknowledging, sometimes resisting, and ultimately embracing the both/and of life. Brutiful is the combination of beautiful and brutal and attributed to Glennon Doyle, podcaster of We Can Do Hard Things. So much of this past year was both hard and amazing. This year brought challenges professionally and personally that no other cohort of Buell Fellows has experienced in the program. The pulls and tugs on their time as they prioritized, attended to, and chose where to put their energy when there was just so much to do in contexts that continue to rapidly change! And we want to express our gratitude, on behalf of the full faculty team, for each person in this cohort choosing to prioritize their own learning and leadership growth throughout the year.
The other word is COREage. This word emerged through conversations while reading the first chapters of the book Courageous Leadership in Early Childhood Education, stories of 13 early childhood leaders who take action to challenge and change inequitable practices in early childhood contexts. We realized that to do this work well, to have the COREage to confront the persistent challenges of our field, we have to strengthen our core, muscling up not only a tight tummy but also to mentally strengthen a confidence, commitment and conviction to lead innovatively and strategically. Cohort 14 COREageous early childhood leaders know that young children and families have the right to a just and equitable early childhood experience.
The Fellows’ journey began “Leading Within” as they explored and reflected on their own beliefs and identities and embraced the opportunity to dig deep within their own stories and history. They also read a lot about various leadership theories and actively deconstructed and reconstructed their own sense of leadership as a practice and way of being in the world.
As they moved to “Leading with Others” in the fall, this group quickly began to put into practice new ways of leading with children, families, and colleagues by iterating various forms of inquiry, dialogue, and application of their learning within their own contexts.
In the Spring, the Fellows expanded their world-views by “Leading Across” contextualized early childhood issues and opportunities present in the field. They practiced being active in the early childhood advocacy space locally and state-wide, attended a virtual day on Colorado’s Capital Hill speaking up for children with legislators around current bills that will respond to inequities and promote healthy and thriving young children across our state. This cohort had front row seats to the very exciting process of establishing Colorado’s new Department of Early Childhood, which will create a system for serving all children and families and initiate a voluntary universal preschool program.
And finally, each Fellow chose an issue that was surfacing in significance for them throughout the program year and in their overall leadership experience to study deeply. They invited their community's knowledge, voice and shared power to name and surface the complexities and challenges unique and relevant to their early childhood context. Fellows and their communities sought to learn together to move forward and along the way, they discovered their leadership capacity to co-create change.
We invite you to learn about each Cohort 14 Buell Fellow and watch their 5 minute Capstone Presentation sharing insights from their year of leadership learning in the program and in their community recorded on June 4, 2022.
And watch the below video celebrating the 17 Buell fellows within the collective Cohort 14ers!
The Fellows’ journey began “Leading Within” as they explored and reflected on their own beliefs and identities and embraced the opportunity to dig deep within their own stories and history. They also read a lot about various leadership theories and actively deconstructed and reconstructed their own sense of leadership as a practice and way of being in the world.
As they moved to “Leading with Others” in the fall, this group quickly began to put into practice new ways of leading with children, families, and colleagues by iterating various forms of inquiry, dialogue, and application of their learning within their own contexts.
In the Spring, the Fellows expanded their world-views by “Leading Across” contextualized early childhood issues and opportunities present in the field. They practiced being active in the early childhood advocacy space locally and state-wide, attended a virtual day on Colorado’s Capital Hill speaking up for children with legislators around current bills that will respond to inequities and promote healthy and thriving young children across our state. This cohort had front row seats to the very exciting process of establishing Colorado’s new Department of Early Childhood, which will create a system for serving all children and families and initiate a voluntary universal preschool program.
And finally, each Fellow chose an issue that was surfacing in significance for them throughout the program year and in their overall leadership experience to study deeply. They invited their community's knowledge, voice and shared power to name and surface the complexities and challenges unique and relevant to their early childhood context. Fellows and their communities sought to learn together to move forward and along the way, they discovered their leadership capacity to co-create change.
We invite you to learn about each Cohort 14 Buell Fellow and watch their 5 minute Capstone Presentation sharing insights from their year of leadership learning in the program and in their community recorded on June 4, 2022.
And watch the below video celebrating the 17 Buell fellows within the collective Cohort 14ers!