A Gingerbread Loaf & 'Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps'

 

Today I am convinced that Summer has bypassed Wellington.

Wellingtonians are rugged up in black puffers, woolen jumpers and on their feet, (because Wellingtoniains are optimists), they are wearing a pair of sandals or slip ons with no socks.

I feel a need to bake a ginger loaf. The smell in the house will be amazing and thinking and writing whilst  baking is in the oven feels like a happy place to be today.

The recipe I am going to use is from a book called Cooking for Optimists.

I know this recipe as Esther’s Gingerbread. (Note the books talk about this particular recipe is not owned by a particular person; it just keeps getting passed on.)

https://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780473497897-cooking-for-optimists/

Whilst measuring and finding ingredients. I am thinking about the book, Berger, J. G. (2019). Unlocking leadership mindtraps: How to thrive in complexity. Stanford University Press.

Berger suggests there are five ways of being that  stop ourselves from seeing possibilities. She calls them ‘Mindtraps’.  Since this book was published I think and reflect on them often. Both in my personal and professional life.  They have supported me to notice more possibilities in my RTLB practice.  

Trapped by Simple Stories: Your Desire for a Simple Story Blinds You to a Real One. Trapped by Rightness: Just because it Feels Right Doesn’t Mean it Is Right. Trapped by Agreement: Longing for Alignment Robs You of Good Ideas. Trapped by Control: Trying to Take Charge Strips You of Influence. Trapped by Ego: Shackled to Who You Are Now, You Can’t Reach for Who You’ll Be Next.

Mind Traps Webinar: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd5Apb9V83o

Mind Traps Pod Cast 

https://player.fm/series/the-amiel-show/episode-93-unlocking-leadership-mindtraps-with-jennifer-garvey-berger

One mind trap that often traps me is that idea of being right.

As a teacher / educator being ‘right’ real feels great. Actually, I think as educators we are paid to ‘be right’. Berger talks about how this feeling of being right, is like a dopamine drop. (actually I don’t think she used the word dopamine) We feel so good about knowing we are right. Yet, she suggests we can not trust that feeling.  

The questions I really enjoy asking are, which are encouraged by Berger are: How many ways might I be right? How many ways might I be wrong? I really recommned trying this. Asking these questions does a thing where, what ever context we are often subject to, eg. developing a localised curriculum during a staff development day or even just sorting the playground duty roster.  The two questions support us to position the context as an object, to step to the side and notice our capacity to think, act and do things differently. If you do try asking these questions I recommend doing this  with a colleague.

As I write this, the smell of gingerbread is  wafting through the house. It’s time to get it out of the oven. (Judging by the cracks on the top, I might have been a bit distracted whilst cooking.)

Note: I did not use a loaf tin. 

Instead a small roasting tin. Like reading and writing,  I prefer chunks not slices.

Roasting cauliflower and thinking about the importance of leaning into conflict

 Most weeks I like to try cooking something new. Today it is roast cauliflower. 

I have seen many recipes for roasting cauliflower, all of them leaning into getting a bit flash for me. This one, however, I can easily hack and I suspect results will be a pretty dam delicious plate of cauliflower.

The recipe I am hacking is called Burnt Lemon Cauliflower

(I call it hacking because if I don't have some of the ingredients which is usually the case, I miss it out or add another, eg. who has fermented lemons on hand?)

	Click on the link below to see the recipe in detail.  Note, the picture is different, mine looked more like the image above.  I love scattering fresh herbs about the place. Also, note: there is also no way I have black sesame seeds, I just threw in Nigella seeds. (buy from your supermarket) Also, I left out the garlic. https://www.vervemagazine.co.nz/sunday-suppers/

Whilst sitting in our kitchen thinking about how I’m going to rearrange this recipe into something manageable, I’m also thinking about: DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press

And an article I read a few years ago Evans, R. (2012). Getting to No: Building True Collegiality in Schools. Independent School, 71(2), n2. there is something niggling in the back of my mind about both.

Evans, R. (2012)  highlights the importance of teachers moving away  from Congeniality, relationships that are based on getting on well, being warm and friendly and move towards Collegiality, relationships where its okay in fact encouraged to disagree it’s not because we ‘don’t like you’, we embrace the difference in ideas and approach, we lean into for the sake of improvement. I blogged about this some time ago.

http://exploriosity.blogspot.com/2016/09/getting-to-no.html

This article connects to DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press because if the purpose of ‘education’ is the development of intellectual capacity (Dewey 1938 & Whitehead 1939)  then as classroom teachers and educators in the broadest sense, we need to be doing everything possible to open up spaces for the improvement of ideas and an intentional capacity to listen to learn. I have known many colleagues who will do whatever they can to avoid conflict. 

In order to learn and to grow, I believe we must learn to sit in those uncomfortable spaces of conflict, (different values, differing knowledges, different attitudes and values) be courageous and lean into the discomfort, stay uncomfortable for a little bit longer than usual and learn. 

Yes, I really am thinking about this whilst hustling a cauliflower!

The cauliflower was ridiculously delicious. A perfect lunch for the next day. I will be inclined to top left over roast cauliflower with some roasted pumpkin seeds and maybe some precooked quinoa or rice.

Happy cooking - Happy reading - Happy thinking!

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education, / New York: Macmillan 

Evans, R. (2012). Getting to No: Building True Collegiality in Schools. Independent School, 71(2), n2.

Mordachai, K. (2017)    Simple Fare, A Guide to everyday cooking and eating, / Abrams, New York

Whitehead, A. N. (1929). The aims of education & other essays.  New York:Macmillan.

Cooking mini quiche whilst summer reading

This is a recipe for educators who are on summer break and are reading hard out in between organising their family and getting head ready for returning to school.

I have seen variations of this recipe in so many recipe books.  Most recently, I saw a version of this recipe in Coffee Pen’s recipe book. I am inspired by coffee Pen cafe it has an unassuming vitality and a warm community. https://www.instagram.com/coffee_pen_/?hl=en

Little pies with your summer reading

(makes 8)

Ingredients

Pastry (I use a delicious pre made Vegan pastry called flaky puff by New Way)

Feta (cubed)

Spinach (small leaves)

Bacon (totally optional)

The mixture

6 eggs

¼ cup of milk

¼ cup of cream

Whisk these up with a fork. Adding cracked pepper and salt

Method

1. Oil muffin tins

2. Take two pastry sheets out and cut one square sheet into four smaller squares.

3. Gently push and pleat eight pastry squares into the muffin tins

4. Bake pastry for 6 mins then take out of the oven. (I was somewhat dubious about this action - however, a little bit of pastry baking will stop a soggy quiche base)

5. Place, spinach first, then feta, then bacon (optional) into each pastry cup6.

6. Pour the egg mixture into the pastry cups

7. Into the oven at 290 C 37 minutes or until them look and smell ready.

 

When these are in the oven, I have had a quick clean up, I have 30 minutes of reading time. I pour a cup of hot water and sit down with my book.

The book I keep reading and rereading is Imaging Decolonization. (BWB texts - https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/imagining-decolonisation/) I think this book is essential reading for all educators who work in Aotearoa, New Zealand. If your personal development and professional work does not connect to the Treaty of Waitangi then, the question I ask is why not? Educators believe in equity and talk about inclusion and designing for it.  Yet, if we are not immersing ourselves in personal and professional learning about Sovereignty, Tino rangatiratanga in education and schooling, conversations and actions about equity in education and schooling are like pushing water uphill with a rake. This is critical work.

After I have read half of Ocean Ripeka Mercier’s article “What is Decolonisation?” it is time to get the quiches out of the oven. They smell delicious. As I let them cool for a couple of minutes I think about her reference to ecological decoloniseation. I look over to our little garden and wonder about what would the garden look like and how might I feel if from this moment on I  plant plants that are native to this area? 

Note: I cook like I teach. A little of this a bit more of that. So, once you have a sense of the ingredients for what they do, own it and share it. Smash out the most delicious flavours, knowing you can feed the family and read at the same time.

      

https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/imagining-decolonisation/