Planting and Nurturing Think Tank Seeds
By: Heather Kretschmer
Every Think Tank article is a seed packet containing life-giving seeds. Seeds of promise. Seeds of change. Seeds to plant in our thoughts and teaching practice. Seeds to spread in our conversations with students, colleagues, friends, and family.
Perhaps you collected some Think Tank seeds in 2024:
- Which seeds have already begun growing in your practice?
- Which seeds are still in packets, waiting to be planted?
- Which seeds need special nurturing to thrive?
As the last question indicates, sowing seeds is not enough. A seed doesn’t always end up in fertile soil. Sometimes it’s not exposed to enough sunlight or moisture. And often, the seed has to wait for the right season. Maybe you’ve planted seeds from past Think Tank articles and they haven’t germinated. You might not have had time or the resources to ensure those seeds grow. Other stakeholders in your teaching context may not yet be receptive to cultivating certain plants. And it may be hard to rip out flourishing mature plants to make room for new ones that may never thrive.
In her book Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown (2017) unfurls this insight: “What we pay attention to grows” (p. 21). Which dormant seeds and languishing seedlings will you pay attention to? And how?
First, reread Think Tank articles from 2024 to review what seeds are in the packets. Then, sow the seeds needed in your unique teaching context and cultivate them with love. If you planted certain seeds in 2024 and subsequently abandoned them, return to their patches to inspect them and invest the time and energy necessary for them to flourish.
Our Think Tank contributors have given us many seed packets over the years. Continue reading this month’s issue to reexamine a selection of packets from 2024. These seeds may whet your appetite for more. So, in the next few weeks and months, I invite you to revisit the Think Tank issues in 2024 to find other beautiful seeds patiently waiting for you to rediscover and tend to in your teaching practice.