Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

It’s strange: the post I wrote for the student-friendly version seemed to end up being more suited for here – as in supposedly not for the students’ eyes – but I continued with it anyway. Maybe it’s a thinking exercise that I’m leaving for them, and for me as well.

Everyone really agreed that next time all the college faculty should be together in one retreat instead of being separated into batches, because we do get closer to those we attend with, but not with those we didn’t attend with.

Using an analogy one of my religion teachers before college used, it’s like building up walls on three sides of the castle, but taking the fourth side for granted, open and vulnerable, except in this situation, the walls are the strong bonds made with the co-faculty, except those who weren’t there, where there are no bonds or walls built.

Of course, this isn’t true for the case of the rare faculty member (ahem) who gets to attend them all, and the retreat of the graduating students at that.

I remembered what I said back then, when, during the socials night, each of the teachers present were asked to speak. I said that even though not all of them became my students, that I knew each and every one of them by name, and that I considered them my children.

The problem was this was after the ceremony of the candle of strengthening relationships and reconciliation, so I really didn’t know what to say that would not repeat all the praise I had lavished on the individual students I had approached earlier that evening.

There was also the reflection on weaknesses and strengths, where a member of the small sharing group mentions three weaknesses, but in return gets three (different) compliments from the other members of the group.

My suggestion for this in the future is that it can be in written form to serve as inspiration to the participants even long after the retreat is done.

Session 1441 wasn’t so much looking for new friends as avoiding enemies. Class dismissed.