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Dear Moira, Further thoughts... using Jack and Jean's criteria that the well being of any participant in research is more important than anything else I face a dilemma. I cannot display the snapshot with your influence foregrounded as my tribute to you, Dean Tian and colleagues or I will deny your wishes and risk hurting. Ethically I cannot proceed - without your portrayal in my snapshot my account is skewed, so I think the only way forward is to restrict the snaphot's view. Effectively I'll suspend the snapshot by disconnecting it at Carnegie source. I am absolutely delighted you enjoyed seeing my work albeit for a short time. I won't destroy what has been created but put it in 'cold storage' until such time as we might find a way forward that satifies us all. Does that seem fair? In parallel I hope Jack will do the same with the paper that I find offensive. I think that paper should be removed from AR.net, Jack, though not destroyed. Love and respect, Sarah http://www.TeacherResearch.net Quoting Sarah Fletcher <[log in to unmask]>: > Dear Moira > > Thank you so much for your detailed and affirnative response to my snapshot. > Perhaps I need to point out again is that it IS a snapshot from my standpoint > and that I simply cannot extract you from what I depict. Without you I would > have had no involvement and your encouraging emails right up to the few days > before the visit have enabled me to feel engaged with Guyuan's AR activities. > I > have no idea what the future holds in terms of any involvement with Guyuan > and > so what I've tried to portray is my delight and excitement to this point. > > I feel so excited about your comments about the role of photography - somehow > the 'stills' which I extracted from videos communicate more than the videos > themselves as they distill (in my opinion) the very 'essence' of experiences. > This isn't to say that video isn't a highly useful medium in teacher research > (I am in agreement with Jack and Jean here - in their latest book) but there > is > something about stills that speaks even more poignantly, but then I cut my > teeth so to speak as a stills photographer and I enjoy that medium far more. > I particularly wanted to move away from I's so that is why I showed you in a > favourite photo, smiling your heart out, but also in an action research group > that Jack convenes. This is my tribute principally to 'us' of you in Guyuan. > > As you put it I have 'carved my self a role' I haven't been aware of that - > but > then my determination to promote quality teacher research internationally > sometimes takes over and I lose myself in the process! Perhaps we need other > snapshots linked to show the stages as they unfold in Guyuan's AR > development. > I used all the materials I had to hand that spoke to me - videos of you, the > Monday group, the brief meeting with Dean Tian and Mr Gao and my feedback on > the AR reports which I asked you if it would be appropriate to send through. > I > promised you a year ago when I took the videos of the Monday Group and of you > in my office that I would pay tribute - but until now I couldn't see how. > The > Carnegie Foundation KEEP toolkit has at last enabled me to do just that. > I think I need to 'frame' what I have created so I explain why it is as it is > - > a brief introduction in the title section that this is my tribute ab initio? > It isn't an official portrayal. It IS how I visualise the links round Guyuan. > > Love, > Sarah > > -- > Sarah Fletcher > SL Mentoring and Induction, BSUC > http://www.TeacherResearch.net > Tel. 01225 875875 > > > Quoting Moira Laidlaw <[log in to unmask]>: > > > I am responding to Sarah's display at the url she cited. I knew Sarah > > wanted to express something of her delight in working with Dean Tian and > > colleagues through email in the last two years and in person with Dean Tian > > and Gao Qin over the last few weeks. She told me she'd be working on > > something and it would be a celebration of her contact with our Chinese > > colleagues. The photographs in particular of my two colleagues, are a joy. > > I love to see the happy openness of people enjoying their conversations > > together, when it seems to me the boundaries such as they can be perceived, > > dissolve in intercultural harmonies. That's what I liked most about the > > pictures. A sense of us being together as we, rather than lots of I's, if > > you know what I mean. How relaxed everyone looks. It's so important to see > > such images, rather than imagining or simply hearing about them. The smiles > > and facial expressions of my colleagues now adorn my desktop, 5000 miles > > away from 'home'! > > > > Sarah, you are helping me to see the value of photography as a profound > > expression and explanation of what we are doing in education, why we are > > doing it, and what it means to be doing it in today's world. I couldn’t > > have believed only a year ago, that my esteemed colleagues could be coming > > to England, that we could consolidate our learning in physical proximity. I > > kept having to pinch myself to recognise the fact they really were there > > with us. > > > > I am thinking as I write, of the further attacks in London yesterday, of a > > reality which denies those 'values of humanity' we (think I can say that) > > would all like to be held accountable to. I work with people from mixed > > religious backgrounds in a developing country. I don't quite know what it > > means to say that, but I know it means something very profound. I want to > > keep working with people together, to form 'we', so that we might do > > something to promote the values which give life, not take it away, the > > values that love and don't hate, the values that speak to our souls, if you > > like. That's what I want, and seeing Sarah's pictures bring that world just > > a little closer for me. The future is a different country: we do things > > better there. Thank you, Sarah. > > > > Now, if you'll forgive me, just a couple of small points. I was wondering > > about the context for this presentation. The pieces about me don't strike > > me as being necessary and may actually be unhelpful. I have two reasons for > > saying that: > > > > a) I want the work my colleagues and I have been doing over the past four > > years of sustained commitment, to have an increasing publicity according to > > their achievements, rather than any sense of past reliance on an > > international volunteer. My organisation (VSO) promotes sustainable > > development. I won't deny the part I've played in the initial impetus and > > subsequent development of this innovation: why would I? I'm proud of it. > > However, I'm not sure that the background material about my early > > impressions, for example, or the bit about Chinese characteristics, which > > Dean Tian writes about in our AR expeditions article, is now what is needed > > in terms of building a sense of a home-grown sustainable development. The > > past is an historical part of the AR Centre's growth of course, but I don't > > feel comfortable with its inclusion, because we've reached a new stage now. > > This isn't modesty on my part - I know the value of my work - but for the > > reasons given above, partly political, partly personal, I'm not at ease > > with this aspect of the presentation. > > b) Some of the comments aren't annotated, which I think detracts from the > > sense of overall context. I'd like to see an explanation (if you think this > > is appropriate - but the fact I sense something's needed, suggests I may > > not be the only one) of what part you are playing in the development of > > this work. I think the role you've carved out for yourself is implied, but > > I don't feel it may be clear enough for others to follow. > > > > Warm regards, and thanks Sarah, > > > > Moira xx > > > > > > > > >