Conflict Resolution Support for Sundial Classical Farmstead

These seven lectures from five presenters across five other courses provide a framework for sustaining a school community based on a “garden model” for schools rooted in mutual trust and shared vision rather than a “factory model” of education. In the first three lectures, Robyn Burlew introduces the “three-legged stool” model, where the home and the church are the primary supports for a child, and the school serves as the vital third leg. She shares the distinction between a partnership and a consumerist transaction. Burlew’s lecture on “Communication and Peacetime Strengthening” focuses on the daily investment required to maintain healthy ties. The lecture covers the “weight of messages,” advising that while email is fine for light logistics, heavy or emotional news (like academic struggles) requires a “stronger bridge,” such as a phone call or face-to-face meeting. Teachers are encouraged to send home positive anecdotes to prove they “know and love” the student. In the “Working through Disagreements between the Partners” lecture, Burlew starts with the necessity of “normalizing conflict” as an expected part of living in a community. She also introduces linguistic tools for de-escalation, such as using “Words of Life” (e.g., “Help me to understand…”) rather than accusatory “Words of Death”. The session also introduces the “5% rule,” where a teacher owns and apologizes for their small part of a misunderstanding to shift the meeting’s tenor.

Additional insights with practical advice for difficult meetings are provided in lectures by Kim Warman, Lori Jill Keeler and Jerilyn Olson. With the final “An Overview of Essential School Leadership” lecture, Keith Nix offers a high-level overview of leadership competencies to create healthy culture. These include the use of a “Principles of Partnership” document, a covenantal agreement signed by parents that establishes shared goals and conflict-resolution protocols before the year begins.