“Listening to these teachers talk about what they are doing and how they are doing it brings me back 25 years. It could easily have been us,” commented Mushiba (Asnuntuck) on the evening of the 25th anniversary celebration. She was right. While there have been changes to the Barnes structure over the years, they have not been significant. The schedule for the second seminar (unfortunately, no copies of the schedule for the first one have been found, although memos for the second indicate that the staff kept the same schedule) is remarkably similar to the current schedule; most aspects have remained the same.

At the heart of all Great Teacher workshops is participants sharing ideas in small groups about what works for them, concentrating on what is positive and practical. The strictures against complaining, railing against the forces that make teachers crazy, talking about bureaucracy, complaining about students, and giving up have stayed the same.

All Great Teacher seminars start with people in small groups sharing what works for them (called an innovation), then move to individual problems that participants face that they want ideas about from their colleagues. As one participant said, “I got so much encouragement to go ahead and try something, see what works with MY students, in MY classroom, with MY style. Wow! Even in the challenges session, everyone was positive and sharing ideas about what might work, or what has worked for them when they faced a similar situation.”

The challenges session mentioned above identifies one other change since the early years. At first the problem in teaching that people brought was a problem that they believed they had at least partially solved and simply wanted more input on. While Peter Anderheggan (Housatonic) was leader, the challenge was revised to be something unsolved that individuals wanted input on. In response to requests for more sharing of innovations during the first couple of years, in most years there have been at least two sessions where innovations are shared. Some years have had two challenge sessions; some have had one.

The third component that every seminar has shared is the hot topics session, or — as it is now most recently titled — the compelling conversations session. These are topics that participants wish to explore in more depth with colleagues at the seminar, often generated during earlier innovation or challenge sessions. Sharing across colleges often highlights different practices, which sometimes opens a wide range of possible solutions. What is seen as a rule within the culture of one college might be quite malleable at another. The number of compelling conversation sessions has changed, with some seminars having two, others only one.

The biggest single change from the first Barnes Seminars is that for about the first decade they included five-minute teaching demonstrations. These were eliminated during Alice Burstein’s (Middlesex) tenure as coordinator, as being not as helpful as having more small group discussions.

Mornings now start earlier, and afternoon breaks are longer. The breaks have always been an integral part of the Barnes experience. A key purpose of the small group sessions is to provoke ideas that can later be explored by those most interested in them. Participants are actively encouraged to spend free time talking informally. “Making contact with colleagues from different colleges is one of the most important aspects of Barnes. We never get the opportunity to just sit and talk, other than here,” commented Nancy Kelly (Middlesex) at the 25th anniversary.

The evening session on the first day of the seminar has changed regularly over the years, sometimes being a formal session, often not. For several years there was community viewing of a video on teaching followed by informal discussions. Today there is often a Non-Astounding Teaching Tips session, frequently a large-group session on day two.

In the early 1990’s to help set a playful tone there was an informal play with a teaching theme largely put on by staff and written by LeRoy. Later, there was often a hilarious team competition skit depicting what a great teacher does. More recently, there has been a creative poetry exercise, focused on teaching. Singing, often without enough good voices, has been a popular evening activity. These fun, team building activities are designed to bring people together, celebrate similarities and build bonds.

Briefly in the 1990’s and again recently there has been a reflective session late on the second day. During this time, participants reflect upon a topic, write about it, and then discuss their responses in small groups. Topics such as “how has teaching changed me,” and “what is the best thing I have done as a teacher” set the tone.

The morning of the final day has varied within a narrow range. Originally there were open discussions about what great teaching is and what a great teacher does. Larry Fujinaka, director of the Hawaii Great Teacher Seminar, brought the idea of the ‘talking stick’ to Connecticut when he was a member of the Barnes staff. From staffers who had attended either the Hawaii or Canadian Rockies seminars came the idea of individual sharing of “what inspires me about teaching,” which often became quite emotional. Lately the topic has been more like “what are you taking from the Barnes experience.” Wearing a lei at the last session and placing it in a common pile after speaking also is from Hawaii; this action is both symbolic and practical as each speaker then hands the talking stick to someone who still has her/his lei on.

“I have an Instant Survey. How many people here post an online assignment in case of bad weather?” No explanation of where the seminar
has been would be complete without mentioning that the Instant Survey became a fixture by the late 1990’s. This is a popular, very quick way for participants to see how many people actually do, or do not do, a particular thing. Staff members encourage this because it is another tool to break the “no one has this problem but me” syndrome. Individuals also use this to identify who might be interested in further conversation on a subject of interest.

And fun. Lots and lots of fun. Games. Sharing jokes. Kidding – emphasis on the positive! For example, many attendees during the years when the seminar was at the Mercy Center remember the buildings being locked at 11:00. Too early! “Oh, the locked door. We had to make sure one of the staff had a room on the first floor so we could boost someone in through the window. It kind of gave us away when we started putting a lawn chair outside a bedroom window to make it easier” recalled Steve Mark (Housatonic) at the 25th anniversary.

Gifting became a Barnes tradition also in the 1990’s. Some say it started as a way for certain staff to unload old children’s toys, but this has been denied! The first day of the seminar everyone draws another participant’s name out of a hat. There is a huge pile of stuff, mostly not items to be cherished, that can be used as gifts. Each person makes a public presentation before the full group of his/her gift to the person selected. Comments range from the hilarious to reflective. Gifting happens at every full group discussion, and assists in promoting the informal, leadership-is-shared approach.

For many years, Barnes was held at the Mercy Center in Madison. The Long Island Sound beach location fit well with the desire to create a professional, yet relaxed, atmosphere. Alice Burstein, who took over coordinating the seminar after Barnes retired, explained the allure of the location. “Mercy is on the ocean. When the weather is nice, many group discussions move outdoors. There is nothing more conducive to thinking deeply than sitting beside the ocean. People loved the peace and serenity.” When the Mercy Center closed for extensive renovations, Barnes moved to the Incarnation Center in Ivoryton – another location that provides a professional, yet relaxed, atmosphere.

The seminar has always been held the end of May or beginning of June, and has always started on Tuesday and gone through Thursday. During the 1990s, a staff day was added on Monday to bring the staff together for final organization, planning, and setting up of activities.

Seminar leaders have always interpreted the word “teacher” broadly to include anyone who taught in any way, from librarians to tutors and everyone in between. While almost all attendees have been from Connecticut, for a few years there were reciprocal arrangements where one or two people were accepted from outside the system in return for a space at a faculty workshop in their state.

Finally, Barnes has always included ”borrow me” and “take me” tables for people to share favorite resources on teaching and learning. Participants are encouraged to put their names on things. After all, if someone sees an interesting article or book she/he may wish to talk with the person who brought it. Everyone has always been encouraged to bring social activities, singing voices, walking shoes, and their sense of humor. Individuals make personal connections that often last for years.