BECOMING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
“Practice is an action, not a block of time,” stated senior Wes Fleming, the first of four student speakers nominated by their peers to deliver the winter convocation address on the topic of Principia College as a community of practice.
After a brief introduction by College President Dr. Jonathan Palmer and readings from junior Godfred Fianu, Fleming delivered his remarks to College students, faculty, and staff. Focusing on being part of a community of perfect practice, he stressed the significance of being engaged, and reminded the audience that “the desire to practice being better, being perfect, today more than we were yesterday or an hour ago, must be put into action and demonstrated.”
Sophomore Will Pappas spoke about the practice of putting God first, citing his work during a particularly challenging quarter. “No matter how hard it was, I made sure that I met the suggestion of stress with the affirmation that God was All-in-all and was taking care of everything in my life. The result was a very harmonious quarter, where everything seemed to fall into place perfectly.”
Addressing the community aspect of the topic, senior Alice Stanley prompted the audience to consider the ways our practices affect one another. “What do you spend your time and energy on? You must find it valuable. It’s valuable to others too—whether they know it or not. You will never meet someone who cannot learn from you in some way.”
Junior Amanda Dunlap echoed this idea. “Besides just staying alert in your own thought, a team involves being willing to share your inspiration with others. This is why a community of thinkers is so unique—not only can we be practicing Christian Science individually through our activities, but we can also be helping each other to do it.”
The comments shared by all of this quarter’s convocation speakers brought new insight on Principia’s community of practice—how students are digging deep into spiritual ideas and sharing their progress and inspiration with others.
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