quaker glossary

the quaker glossary

wondering what your kids are talking about when they come home with quaker lingo? We’re here to help!

by Kelley Still, with contributions from Guybe Slangen

At San Francisco Friends School, it’s our mission to empower each member of our community to have confidence in themselves (even when their thoughts and opinions fall outside of the majority) and also to find value and wisdom in the opinions and contributions of others. One of the ways we do this is by providing students, faculty and staff members with the tools, skills, and mindset they need to approach decision-making.

A clerk can be defined as either a noun or a verb. In the noun form, a clerk is defined as a leader and facilitator of the meeting, seeking to maintain a safe climate where all voices are welcomed, heard, and valued. The role of the clerk is to find unity, enroll quiet members who may feel intimidated at the thought of speaking in front of a group, redirect more outspoken or vocal members who may be drowning out others, and overall to ensure mutual trust in the process is as important as the outcome itself. In the verb form, to clerk or clerking, refers to someone who takes on the role of a facilitator and manages the process of reaching a decision, but does not act as a chair or decider.

Although the clerk of the meeting serves as a facilitator who brings the Quaker decision-making process to life, everyone involved should consider themselves a clerk and should model the clerking mindset, reflecting on their own thoughts and actions in service to the group’s decision making process. [Important Note: students serve as clerks at SFFS, as well, starting in 4th Grade.]

A clerking mindset entails: • Being prepared to change your mind. • Speaking up and sharing one’s opinion, even if your tendency is to watch from the sidelines. • Conversely, it is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that other, less vocal members of the group, feel safe enough to share their opinions as well. • Trust yourself, trust others, and trust the process.

The process of clerking at SFFS is both aspirational and practical in its application. We believe that ingraining these tools of openness and understanding help to ground a child’s experience. Translating these ideals when it comes to our youngest members of the community can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Regardless of their age or standing, our uniquely collective approach to the process allows our students to practice and test the skills of empathy, humility, and curiosity. And it is our hope, as a school grounded in and guided by Quaker values, that as our students move onto other schools and encounter the plethora of situations they will be faced with throughout their lives, they will bring with them the spirit of openness and kindness and engagement that we have nurtured here. •