I wish I could tell you about my students.
The one who brings home books to her brothers from my classroom library.
The one who desperately tries to ignore the loud ones.
The one who understood completely when I said how many students let others dictate their love of learning.
And the one who did the memoir project, both the written and the podcast version, and asked me not to share.
To me, it was This American Life, Invisibilia, and StoryCorp level amazing. Perhaps, even more amazing because she didn’t have producers, writers, engineers, or Ira Glass prompting her on. Just me, telling her (and everyone) “just tell your story.”
It is enough.
More than enough.
I’ve used my goodwill on all-staff emails. There is no time, nor is it on the agenda, to share in a PLC. I know, and I can tell her thank you. I won’t think about the smell of blackberries or the lack of smell of sunflowers again.
Why I archive and reflect constantly: I don’t want to miss these moments. I am very grateful to have you for a colleague to help me stay in the present, and keep observing.
Funny, isn’t it, what we miss, and what we waste time on? What uplifting moment are we missing, here, and how little better off we are for what we will have done instead.