What Participants Say

Sometimes the best way to know what to expect from WC&R retreats is to hear from past participants. We encourage new participants to talk with one of our alumni about their experience and the impact of this work. Below you will find participant quotes taken from the retreat evaluations. If you would like to talk with a past participant, please contact the WC&R office.

 

“I feel like I am on the beginning of a long journey towards trying to live an undivided life. This program has helped me identify themes that I need to spend more time with. It helped me wrestle with some issues that I didn’t think could ever be solved. This is the first time I have felt empowerd as a teacher and has really allowed me to explore WHY I do what I do.”

29 year old classroom teacher, 7 years experience

“I have gained encouragement toward deep reflection in the face of a culture that stresses doing more and more…an understanding that ordinary people (myself among them) can do extraordinary things.”

“It’s difficult to express the magnitude of the personal healing and professional renewal that the Courage & Renewal retreats have provided for me. It has been a gift that has impacted my life like nothing else. I am a different person and teacher because of this opportunity. I am more grounded and centered, have more courage in my convictions and wisdom, am calmer and less stressed, am renewed in spirit and hope. I take better care of myself in mind, body, and spirit. I have grown tremendously professionally and personally, but I have also have been validated for what I intuitively knew and believed. My future in education: I am 55 and have taught for 20 years. I used to think I couldn’t possibly make it to 30 years. Now I think I will and I want to. C&R has given me new resolve, refreshed and renewed my soul, given me strength and self-care to continue.”

55 year old classroom teacher, 20 years experience

“The CTT program has taught me the value of honest reflection and the power of possibility. When I arrived at CTT, I was still trying to figure out what I had to offer my schools, my students, myself. I now know that these things will take care of themselves if I can be open honest, and present to myself and my students. BIG CHANGE!”

“Courage to Teach is so life affirming. I wake up every day excited now, after 30+ years in education – the way I felt when I was young. Before CTT I was continually getting in my own way. Now, I laugh again, and often, which helps clear my heart and opens me to my colleagues.”

School leader, 32-years experience

“It has been the relentlessness of the job that challenges my energy and spirit. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. The glasses start to fog up. C&R has helped me to filter out the non-essential stuff. The feeling of being constantly over-whelmed is lifting.”

“I will surround myself with people who have a genuine, honest interest in making the world a better place, starting with themselves. This is what it is all about. If you don’t know who you are, you don’t know what you are teaching… It makes a difference with how I deal with other people now that I am clear about where I stand.”

Middle school principal, 20-years experience

“I expected my attendance at the retreat to benefit me personally, but to only have a slight, if any, effect on my work. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The retreat helped me to reconnect with myself, what I value, and my passions. It had a transformative effect on who I am at work. It’s a joy to find that I’m looking forward to going to work each morning and that I’m present and inspired enough to be a real leader, not just a ‘boss’.”

Technology Manager, 24 years experience

It has been a watershed for me, in both my personal and professional life. It has offered me the necessary time and structure to rethink the purpose of my life. I have different, softer eyes for the children with whom I work. I see their qualities and gifts more quickly than I see their problems.

Elementary counselor, 8-yrs experience

“I have learned to trust myself more—by asking ‘what do I want?’ ‘what is true for me?’ and being willing to speak and live that truth. I trust myself to speak honestly now, which opens up others to trusting more.”

“Courage & Renewal has helped me to listen to my heart – and to live and work more authentically. I feel I see myself and others more clearly – our motives, our fears, our gifts. I have become more accepting of my own failings; I am more appreciative of my fellow human beings. I have brought C&R practices – poetry, reflection, dialogue, journaling into my work with teachers, colleagues and child care providers. On my recommendation my agency hired a C&R facilitator to work with all the administrators. My sense of myself is that my gifts and calling are in education. I have the passion and perspective and desire to share my gifts. I have the appetite for the rewards of learning relationships. I will continue in the field because I AM an educator.”

50 year old Head Start coordinator, 20 yrs experience

“Courage & Renewal helped me realize I am not alone-which makes a world of difference. My staff tells me I am more confident, poised, and relaxed. I’m more gentle with myself and less self-critical. Because I’ve learned strategies to support myself through difficult times, I am more able to create change and improve my school.

School administrator, 22-years experience

“I am not feeling burned out, but “on fire”to reach out and embrace the many paradoxes of my teaching life. This program is for teachers who are so busy reaching out that they have forgot-ten the need to reach within and bring forth some-thing worthy of their students’ attention. It takes courage and that is what the Courage & Renewal program provides. WC&R provides participants a time to retreat, remember, and respond to the needs of their soul.”

High school teacher, 29 years experience

As a therapist in private practice, it is essential that I take time to deeply listen to my deepest needs, hopes and inner wisdom and to replenish myself, body and soul. I am grateful that the retreat gave me a perfect opportunity. I came away refreshed and inspired. Months later, I am delighted to continue to feel an amazing renewed energy for my work and my life as a whole.

Therapist, 20 yrs exp

“CTT has helped me re-evaluate what I am doing and realize that this is the place for me! Having the support system (the people, the literature, poetry, the space/time, the location, retreat center staff) have really made me feel welcome and appreciated, individually and as part of something greater than myself. I feel energized and feel like I have the tools to embrace the seasons of teaching and life in general. I’m grateful and raring to go!”

41 year old specialist, 18 years experience

“Courage & Renewal has taught me that an important motto for life may not be ‘Don’t just sit there, do something’ , rather, ‘don’t just do something, sit there.’ Reflection and planning are more powerful than I ever imagined. Thank you!”

“I have already stayed in education one year longer than I may have otherwise and I have new hope and optimism. I am reminded that I do this work because it is where my heart is and I am good at it. Introspection, time to revive, and mindful, deliberate dialogue with other wonderful teachers is what this retreat is all about. It has been very life and teacher sustaining!”

36 year old high school teacher, 13 years experience

“Courage To Teach has certainly had the deepest professional and personal effect on me. NO other seminar, experience, in-service related to education has done this. I am excited, hope-filled, and eager to continue the journey in education. I am able now to stand outside of my discouragements and embrace encouragements with a new-found courage. I’ve had 32 professional year in education, and hope for 32+ more.”

53 year old teacher/administrator

“Courage & Renewal allowed me the clarity of thought to establish a balance in my life between professional and personal realms.”

“Though I’m eligible to retire in four years, I do want to go for another seven to ten years, at least. I never wanted to be an educator that could only count down to retirement. Before Courage to Teach I was starting that process of counting backward. Now, rather, things are being counted in terms of projects to work on and complete, new things I want to learn, and new connections I want to make. The decision to retire will no longer be one of an age to reach or an amount of experience to accumulate. It will be more of a function of things accomplished and new horizons outside of education to explore.”

“I have to say that this process has allowed me to come to terms with control issues and fears to the degree that anxiety and worry no longer hover about—I am enough!”

“ I am much more clear about who I am, my strengths and talents, my passions, my purpose and so much more comfortable speaking and living my truth. This has contributed significantly to my confidence.”

“In the time I’ve been attending the retreats, I’ve moved significantly, professionally speaking—from an over-worked, burned out, misplaced educator to a satisfied “leadership coach”. Courage to Teach has directly affected the life choice to ‘live divided no more.’”

“Courage to Teach keeps me going, and helps me see the connection between personal and professional satisfaction. I am learning to trust myself more and to trust those I interact with. It helped me see the need to ask others to support me and helped me see my blind spots.”

Teacher educator, 23-years experience

“There’s a growing sense of inner strength that I feel – a calm resolve – even in the midst of particularly ugly conflicts or work challenges.”

“The job of educator is so complicated and relationship oriented. Before Courage to Teach, I never really thought about the relationships as being so central to the process; but I have come to believe that relationship is the whole process. While I struggle with issues of balance and integration, my view is far more positive than when I started CTT. I know now I will be in education for the rest of my life.”

“Helping me find my truth. I know more about how to look for it, how to recognize it, how to speak it, how to live it, and how to go back in again to find more. The effects of this in my professional life and personal life cannot be measured –it has created a life change of monumental (to me) proportion.”

“I definitely think that I have come to find a better balance between personal/professional life. I am able to set aside time for myself with less guilt, knowing that it (the time) will feed my professional life.”

“I have a greater sense of hope and feel less responsibility to do it all or to do it alone. This is a critical journey, just begun. This inner work empowered me to continue in ed. leadership; I would have quit and thought myself unworthy one and a half years ago.”

“Courage & Renewal has definitely helped me see the value of making time—regularly! for reflection and renewal. It has become a regular part of my practice.”

“I honor individuals’ own decisions and choices more. I see then as fully capable, as whole human beings who deserve respect and love—whereas I used to be more suspicious of people’s motives. I trust them more, and that increases the trust between us.”

“Trust is an important and essential element in human relationships, especially in education. But because of the competition and overwhelming workload that are built into our work, we don’t adhere or pay attention to (the) trust issue any more. Courage & Renewal helps to go back to ‘the basics’ and find ways to recreate the trust.”

“It has been the relentlessness of the job that challenges my energy and spirit. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. The glasses start to fog up. C&R has helped me to filter out the non-essential stuff. The feeling of being constantly over-whelmed is lifting.”

“As a result of the series retreats, I discovered my strengths and the list is still changing and growing. To name a few, my ability to trust, listen, let go, and be more open in my work.”

“My vision, courage, and heart—and how these help link people together for a greater good. Seeing the common threads and links of my cohort, helps me see this sameness in my staff and colleagues.”

“Trust was always important to me, especially after experiencing a school that suffered without it. I think C&R clarified the role of trust in my work, this year it is central in my work.”

“…I have so appreciated the ‘no fixing’ noun. It has enabled me to focus on the issue in a way which allows others to respond as they are ready.”

“Before my participation in C&R, trust in my work-place was generally something people earned from me—I had it all wrong. Trust is something that you must give as freely as possible in order to gain the most benefit from.”

“C&R has given me a framework for continued renewal and exploration and wonder.”

“By reflecting frequently with my educational and leadership practice, I acknowledge my own struggles as well as others. My colleagues, students, and I are able to help one another instead of taking a hostile role against each other.”

“I run retreats and some staff meetings in a courage & renewal format, which has opened communication and built trust.”

“C&R has solidified my belief that everyone has some capacity to trust—that is the way into and through many difficult situations.”

“The development of trust within me starts with my ability to listen to myself. Listening only occurs if I take the time to reflect. Taking the time, learning more about the connection between reflection and self-trust, and practicing what I’ve learned have all improved with my C&R experience.”

“I think I’ve come to see, more clearly, how crucial the element of trust is in my work setting. Because I’ve developed trusting relationships with C&R friends and facilitators, this sort of haven we’ve created in our retreats and the more competitive, impersonal setting where I work. With the knowledge above, I have been able, in my own sphere of influence, to try to develop a sense of trust and mutual respect among my staff and colleagues. I can’t necessarily do this w/ people who are in power “above” me, but with those that I work with.”

“I have moved to a collaborative work setting. The experience of the retreats helped me to clarify how important this is to the kind of leadership I wanted to provide in the future. I feel extremely grateful and hopeful about my new collaborative work.”

“As I develop trust and love for myself, I am effortlessly able to extend more trust to others.”

“It scares me to think of the professional life I would be leading if I hadn’t spent the time in Clearness Committees, in reflection, in introspection, and open honest discussion at Courage to Teach. Courage to Teach helped me uncover a deeply buried part of myself—very true authentic self—and it’s changed the course of my life dramatically for the better.”

“I have also found myself exhibiting a new, heightened level of awareness about responsibilities and tasks I take on. It feels more balanced to maintain an awareness of the rewards as well as the demands of a project before I agree to undertake it.”

“I feel more ready to accept the challenges and live with the inevitable mistakes. Keenly feel what Parker Palmer says about ‘Be not afraid’ –it doesn’t mean we can’t have fear, we just realize we can face it.”

“I’ve been finding myself more willing to take on a public leadership roles whereas before I felt more comfortable as second-in-command rather that as the ‘point person.’ That feels like an important step in my own growth and development.”

“Courage & Renewal has led me not only to take care of my physical self, but also my spiritual well-being, which are closely connected with each other.”

“What sustains me most as an educator has not changed since Courage & Renewal. What has changed is my ability to see these elements. C&R is more like a new prescription for my glasses. Things are clearer, more focused.”

“My participation in C&R has supported time for reflection and my own spiritual practices and has encouraged me to further explore those growth boundaries.”

“My interactions with students, be they children or adults, are what is central to my work now. The relationship with students is by far the most sustaining. I reflect more on my satisfying relationships in my life. Courage To Teach has helped me to change my priorities to focus on student relationships. Learning comes in relationship, good or bad, I did not really understand this before CTT.”

“My work used to be isolated and lonely, but that has changed because of participation with C&R. I now embrace the human connection, recognize that we’re all in this together, and appreciate others’ contribution more.”

“I love people, even when they make my cranky, I have learned to think about what I am learning about them while we work through a problem, and what they might learn about me. Community is built first through acceptance, but then love.”

“Listener—I have increased my ability to listen and really hear what is being said. I have learned to ask open questions.”

“Before participating in Courage & Renewal, leadership for me was about skills to organize, or personal characteristics, but after my C&R retreats, I realize everyone can lead with their hearts and minds and heads.”

“I have become much more invested in my ability to lead (want to face the shadows/ monsters PP talks about) and I’m continuing to find new ways /methods for reflection and inner work.”

”It got me through a dark time of insecurity and helped me take the next step-even when I needed to let go of things near and dear to me. As a result, I have matured into my voice as a leader. I feel more creative, generative, and positive about making change.”

“I have a calm sense of inner resolve that I will remain in education. Teaching is in my blood.”

“I have a renewed sense of energy and dedication to do the important work of developing learning communities with love and trust at the center.”