What did they learn?

Last night with glasses of wine in hand, prairie in sight, the instructors and fellows read out the
"How I Grew" statements that students wrote on Friday morning. Although I, with regret, did not see their entire journey through the learning process, it seems very real to me. Through my own observations and conversations with the students and instructors, it was clear that each student had grown in an important way. It was exciting to see some of them reflecting on this.

And even though each student has grown, the level of growth through this course also seemed directly related to how open students were to questions about community, vocation, responsibility and self. Some came clearly open to a variety of experiences, questions, or emotional sharing others came with a few closed off areas or seemingly many of their own answers already established. I wonder how many of them realized this. Either way, many of them were more successful with questions of community and inclusion than many people I know. I hope it serves them well, I believe it will. I hope I end up finding out.