Chapter 20: Climbing the Icy Steps Together: Three Educators Learning, Writing, Loving, Teaching, and Growing

Much of the literature on K–12 professional learning communities (PLCs) and university faculty learning communities (FLC) is about how they can be designed as a system (Cox, 2004; Ward & Selvester, 2012; DuFour, 2004). Some schools prescribe who is to work together, on what to work, and the structure of the collaboration. Other schools incentivize and encourage learning communities in various ways. We believe that the most impactful and sustainable learning communities happen organically, as did ours. The following chapter details how our group developed, how it has helped us navigate the often icy steps of academia, and provides suggestions for how readers can find and develop their own communities.