remainder of the trip, including visits to the United Nations building, a
Broadway play, Ground Zero, and other tourist sites, without incident.
The trip was highly successful and changed the lives of those gang mem-
bers who participated. Three years later, we had not had a gang fight on
campus.
Changing adult behavior was significantly more difficult for me than
changing student behavior. The district professional development depart-
ment had received funds from Texaco/Chevron for innovative leadership
development experiences for teachers and administrators. We were fortu-
nate to be selected to participate in this program. We took 25 Furr teach-
ers to Estes Park, Colorado, for a seven-day “Thinking Expedition” led by
Rolf Smith of Strategic Innovation. During those seven days, we identi-
fied the “summit” of our Furr “mountain,” and we spent long hours devel-
oping plans for reaching the peak. We formed teams based on our
strengths and personality types and climbed Old Man Mountain, cele-
brating our accomplishment before descending in the dark. Rock climb-
ing provided an opportunity to build trust and was symbolic of the
challenges we faced as we worked to establish community on our way to
the Furr summit.
While in Colorado, we visited the Eagle Rock School—a school for
students who did not fit into the mainstream. One of their practices that
we brought back to Furr was a weekly “gathering” at which students and
teachers voluntarily meet to share ideas and talents. Even today, students
and teachers continue to gather each Friday morning to celebrate accom-
plishments and to exchange ideas and talents.
After returning to Furr from Colorado, a selected group of teachers
met to develop a statement of philosophy and core values of the school.
Later we shared it with the Furr school community and signed a covenant
to follow the document as we went about our daily duties. I was surprised
at the outcome of their work and how enthusiastically parents, students,
and school staff signed the covenant. Apparently our hours spent on the
Habits of Mind had taken root. It had happened so gradually and naturally
that no one had noticed. Building a culture to support this set of beliefs
had become a way of life at the school and in the community; it contin-
ues today.
346 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind