Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.
―Stephen Covey
How Was Your Day?
A friend joined just the three of us for dinner. He’s in his mid-twenties and settled into an empty seat at our dinner table.
“How was your day?” I asked Sam. “Anything funny happen?”
Sam sighed in the dramatic way of a teenager and looked across the table at our friend, “She always asks about the day. You just have to share something specific. Don’t say ‘fine’ or ‘meh’ or ‘I’m alive.’ She actually wants to hear about something specific…and she really loves the funny stuff.”
I laughed. “That’s because you really love telling me the funny stuff. It doesn’t matter what you share, but it’s important to share about your day.”
Reaching for the bowl of fruit, our guest said, “Do you know how much I wish someone would ask me about my day?”
Sam chuckled. “Well, hang out with my mom some more and you won’t have that wish anymore.”
This short conversation has been tumbling around in my mind because it reminded me that we live in a world that is noisy but rarely listens.
Learning to listen is more important than ever.
Stephen Covey famously said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Without listening, our world becomes more polarized. People feel lonely. It’s hard to belong.
Learning to listen takes time and intentionality. It’s more than just taking out our earbuds or asking a question. This week we focus on listening and speaking—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
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Gretchen Schroeder is committed to having conversations about race and racism with her high school students. Sometimes it’s difficult to engage students, so Gretchen used drama games as a means to think about concepts metaphorically, then ground them within the text, and, finally, have students apply them to their own lives and the world.
Matt Renwick worked with a speech therapist after having a stroke. Through this process, he realized powerful teaching points to help students become stronger public speakers.
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In this video, Lora Bieghler facilitates a Socratic-style discussion among third graders.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Mary Brower considers ways to support risk-taking in classrooms. She shares a simple process for reflective practice that helps fuel professional growth.
Heather Fisher realizes the possibility of connections while volunteering in the T-ball dugout. This transformed the direction of her coaching conversations as she used questioning and wait time to help teachers make powerful connections between content areas.
Melanie Meehan shares some of her favorite templates for flexible lesson planning with teachers.
Quote It:
The art of conversation lies in the art of listening.
—Malcolm Forbes
That’s all for this week!
