ABSTRACT
A few teachers dedicated to their school and to their community can make a difference in a hurry, especially if they receive the encouragement and support of community members and school administrators. The revitalization conversation begins largely in the school and never becomes a forum that includes a wide spectrum of community residents. The conversations can easily become a forum for airing petty squabbles or for individuals who "like to hear themselves talk". When these things happen, the conversation becomes dominated by three or four individuals, at which point less outspoken people stop coming to the meetings. There is really no way to rush the conversation stage. It can be made more productive, however, by assigning certain themes to meetings, with each meeting ideally preceded by shared readings related to it. The very act of making good on these commitments is a step in the direction of the restoration of the shared projects that constitute community.
