Since my first day back, since literally the first time someone stopped me in the hall, I learned about others who are also caring for a loved one. I had absolutely no idea. These are people that I have passed in the hallways, seen in classrooms, or had conversations with in my office. They are faculty and staff in our district and they have been able to carry out their assigned duties without a noticeable difference. It reminded me of this sign I have seen in people's offices around campus:
When I was a baby teacher back in the late 90's, I was told to never smile before the holiday break in December. Boy did I fall short at that. It was so against my nature. But a funny thing happened when I started smiling more in my class, my students smiled more too. And as I started to share more of the story of who I was with my students, they started to share more of the stories of who they were with me. It made me such a better teacher, because I knew my students. Our classroom was a better place because we had a better understanding of each other.
This idea that sharing begets more sharing resonates in Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love. "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give people permission to do the same." The more we allow who we are to come forth, others feel welcome to allow who they are to come forth. The same principle holds for any relationship - sharing begets more sharing.
We are in the midst of an era of personalized learning plans, ways in which students and their families are making education more meaningful, identifying places that learning takes place outside the classroom, and building better connections to what happens away from the school building. It seems like a natural time to be more vulnerable and open with our students, and with each other. Sharing begets more sharing.
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