Public Programs
Welcome! The Sofia Center’s public programs are designed to bring together educators from diverse schools and organizations for collegial, dynamic, and aesthetic shared learning. From the importance of play to the role of wonder, from design thinking to place-conscious education, topics and themes are chosen to offer intellectual challenge, invite reflection, and inspire individual and organizational shifts in practice. We hope you will join us.
REFLECT : INNOVATE : ACT
Connect with colleagues. Investigate a topic. Refuel and rethink your practice. Act!
Reflect : Innovate : Act is a monthly series of monthly seminars and workshops open to educators throughout the community. These events encourage professional inquiry and shared expertise, while also offering rich content, inspiration, and an aesthetic experience that honors the passion and hard work of educators. Each month we investigate a different topic or issue, and sessions are led by the Sofia Center Director and educators from across the community. Sofia Center participants represent a wide range of schools and organizations, including public, charter, and private schools, pre-K through university level. Since launching Reflect : Innovate : Act in January 2013, we have been thrilled to welcome educators from over 175 schools and organizations.
October 2017 Event
Please join us. Click on invitation to register.
The 2017-2018 Reflect : Innovate : Act Series
Recent RIA Program Highlights
RIA Program Topics 2013-Present
| Jan 2013 | Share What Works | Jan 2015 | Mindfulness and Education |
| Feb 2013 | Mid-Winter Mini Retreat | Feb 2015 | Colloquy 4: Movement & Learning |
| March 2013 | Seminars & Conversations | March 2015 | Ritual & Ceremony in Education |
| April 2013 | What’s Your Superpower? | May 2015 | Year in Review & Mapping the Road Ahead |
| Sept 2013 | Listening Matters | Sept 2015 | Teacher Leadership |
| Sept 2013 Sat. Retreat | Building Inspirational & Innovative Professional Development Programs | Oct 2015 | Reflective Practice: Define + Discuss + Design |
| Oct 2013 | Colloquy 1 | Nov 2015 | Imagination + Learning |
| Nov 2013 | Reclaiming Wonder | Dec 2015 | Emotional Intelligence |
| Dec 2013 | Tell Your Story: Educators’ Voices | Jan 2016 | Colloquy 5 |
| Jan 2014 | Social Justice & Cultural Competence | March 2016 | Educators as Artists: National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| Feb 2014 | Colloquy 2 | April 2016 | Restore |
| March 2014 | Teaching as a Creative Act | May 2016 | Diversity + Equity: 3 Workshops on Race, Gender, Power and Privilege |
| April 2014 | Design Thinking for Educators | Sept 2016 | Play + Learning, Play + Leading |
| Sept 2014 | The Labyrinth of Teaching & Learning | Oct 2016 | The Labyrinth of Teaching + Learning, 2.0: Bosque Retreat Center |
| Oct 2014 | Colloquy 3: Place-Conscious Education | Nov 2016 | Colloquy 6: Teaching + Leading after the Election |
| Nov 2014 | Reggio Emilia & The Wonder of Learning: NM Museum of Natural History & Science | Dec 2016 | Setting the Stage: How We Use Space, Materials, and Design for Learning |
| Dec 2014 | The Idea Exchange | Jan 2017 | Inspiration 2017 |
| Feb 2017 | Building Authentic Community Partnerships: Pedagogy, Process, and Models | ||
| March 2017 | Mindfulness and Education, 2.0 | ||
| April 2017 | Ritual + Ceremony in the Schoolhouse |
WILD LEADERSHIP RETREAT
What happens when we lead with a sense of wild possibility? What emerges when we shift the wild ride of leadership from something stressful or out of control to something wonderfully innovative and full of heart? Each spring, the Sofia Center brings together education leaders from public, independent, and charter schools, pre-K through University level, for inquiry, rejuvenation, and strategy focused on leading with intention and passion. Wild Leadership is designed for educators leading at the organizational level.
Wild Leadership retreat leaders have included Elsa Menéndez, education director at National Hispanic Cultural Center; Thomas Hoerr, former head of New City School in St. Louis and author of The Art of School Leadership, Becoming A Multiple Intelligences School, and The Principal Connection, a regular column in Educational Leadership; Tamisha Williams, Director of Adult Equity and Inclusion at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco; Michelle DuVal, director of The Mindful Center, and Sheryl Chard, director of the Sofia Center.
EDUCATOR RENEWAL RETREAT
Please join us for a vibrant, restorative gathering of educators – where the focus will be on individual rejuvenation, collective inquiry and reflection, and reconnection with the larger purposes of our work as educators. There will be no talk of standardized tests, assessment protocols, article deadlines, or papers to grade! Instead, there will be rich discussion with colleagues, walks in the beautiful high desert, inspirational readings, and time for your own renewal and reconnection with your calling. This retreat is open to all teachers, pre-K through university level; from public, charter, or independent schools; and whether working in traditional school settings or educational non-profits.
The first educator renewal retreat was held at the beautiful Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Please check back for information about future retreats.
As a public educator and school administrator I have benefited personally from the innovative professional development efforts of Bosque School’s Sofia Center. The Sofia Center offers a place where teachers and school leaders can come together and imagine an educational setting in which the art of teaching is celebrated, whether it is bringing mindfulness into the classroom or engaging young minds with play. I am a better leader and our teachers are better educators – all because of the unique learning opportunities offered by the Sofia Center.
– Julie Radoslovich, Principal/Director at South Valley Academy, Albuquerque