Strozzi Institute - Embodied Leadership Level One - Scholarship Application
I’m applying for a scholarship for Strozzi Institute’s Embodied Leadership Level One course, in July. Answering their questions was a helpful way for me to reflect on where I’ve been, where I am at, and where I’m going. My answers also, I feel, highlight the financial realities of being a public elementary school teacher in San Francisco - incredibly rewarding in myriad ways, and simultaneously not easy (or even possible, for some) to sustain. I believe in looking at situations comprehensively, and that’s exactly what this year outside the classroom is helping me do.
Answers to select questions below:
What other leadership development and/or somatic training have you been involved in? “I am a dance teaching artist, currently working with the San Francisco Unified School District, and part of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), as well as the California Dance Education Association (CDEA). With the exception of this year (as I’m currently on a year of leave / personal sabbatical) I’ve been attending NDEO’s national conference since 2012, and have attended a handful of CDEA conferences - all focused around best practices and leadership in the field of dance education, at both the national and state level. I have been attending Wisdom 2.0 conferences since 2012, and just this past October took part in a Two Day program with Search Inside Yourself (SIY). I’m also slated to begin teacher training with Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute next month, in April.”
What type of leaders/coaches or organizations do you work with? “For the past 7 years I’ve primarily worked with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), teaching original standards based dance curriculum to students, teachers, principals, staff and other administrators at multiple K-5th grade urban elementary school sites in San Francisco. I am also a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), the California Dance Education Association (CDEA), and Wisdom Hackers. Additionally, I’m part of the Wisdom 2.0 Community, the Luna Dance Institute Community, The Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute Community, the Hera Hub Community, and have partnered with the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE), responsible for administering David Lynch’s Quite Time Program in various SFUSD schools, via a grant from Kaiser Permanente, to bring a Quiet Time experience, through Yoga, to the Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade students of John Muir Elementary School in San Francisco (http://artistsintheclassroom7.tumblr.com/yogaindance1516). I also recently became a certified Mediator with SF Community Boards, a conflict resolution organization, and am working with Alex Cary, an Executive life coach.”
What do you hope to gain by the end of this course? “Primarily, I hope to gain clarity of purpose. Referenced above, I straddle many different worlds (public education, the arts, business, tech, mindfulness practice based communities etc.) and have felt - the last few years especially - a sensation of growing-out-of-my-old-skin, from the inside, and a sort of odd attention, from the outside. I feel like there’s something in me that’s been gestating for a while now, and might be ready to lead, in some capacity. It also feels like many individuals in the communities I’m part of are looking in my direction for leadership; Instead of constantly shape shifting, or highlighting only certain aspects / parts of myself when I’m working with a particular community, I would like to operate from a place of being fully myself & integrated at all times, regardless of setting. I would also like to quicken my ability to return to center after being triggered, expand my capability to hold seemingly disparate ideas / feelings / thoughts / views, and hone in on what I truly want to commit to.”
How do you plan to apply what you learn in this course? “Well, seeing as I’ve spent a majority of the past 7 years working with little and big individuals in urban public elementary school settings, and that I believe it’s truly our presence & quality of being that has the potential to generate & sustain positive change, it is my hope that this training will enable me to be a more compelling facilitator, a more embodied artist, and a more effective negotiator & resolver of conflicts. I also hope it will inform my work as a teacher in training with Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, as I feel there’s much overlap in the work. I would also like to be able to field the challenges & stresses of everyday life with more ease & skill.”
Any other relevant information regarding income, expenses, and request for support? “I am currently on a year of leave / personal sabbatical from teaching within the San Francisco Unified School District. While I have a voice in my communities & online (www.artistsintheclassroom.com | www.jakeytoor.com), I’m not currently a high net worth individual, and can attest to the challenges of living off a teacher’s salary in the city of San Francisco. This year, I qualified for Medi-Cal, and am supporting myself through savings, as well as receiving assistance from my parents - from whom I would like to take as little as possible. I am asking for a full scholarship because I believe I can put this work to good use out in the world. I hold that as my intension - and while I’m still in the process of envisioning what next year will look like for me - I am positioned to do so. A month ago I was accepted into Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute’s Teacher Training Program and awarded a 90% scholarship. If awarded a scholarship, I will certainly consider reaching out to Strozzi Institute if & when I have the resources to comfortably donate in kind.”
