Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
—Simone Weil
The Power of Presence
I’m an officially certified lifeguard. If you’re like anyone else in my life, you’re asking, Why are you a certified lifeguard?
My answer is not satisfying.
Because my friend Liz wanted to take the course and asked me to sign up with her.
Liz and I swim together a lot. Over time we began to wonder if we could pass the requirements to be lifeguards. I used to be a certified lifeguard, but I wasn’t confident I could complete the requirements more than two decades later. Just for fun, we went through the prerequisites. Then we found ourselves in the class. We were the only ones who were not teenagers.
You spend a lot of hours in training to become a certified lifeguard. There’s a lot of time jumping into the deep end of the pool and hopping out of the side of the pool, in and out, in and out. Liz and I kept up with the teenagers.
You learn who sinks and who doesn’t. You switch partners to practice rescuing different people. A few hours into the first session, I was reminded how community forms when you learn things together, and community is deepened when you conquer challenges together.
All it takes is showing up together. We were an unlikely group, and by the end we were connected. All we did was show up and learn together.
It’s the power of presence. Too often I underestimate the power of presence. We live in a culture that makes communication easy without being present. We can scroll through status updates while forgetting a face-to-face conversation with the person across the room. We can look at test data on a screen without considering the other realms of life a student encounters.
One of the most important priorities of a lifeguard is to be present. I didn’t become a lifeguard to realize that presence is sacred, but that was the outcome. It’s true for our classrooms, too. Our presence is sacred. This week we consider the way passion and curiosity make a difference—plus more, as always.
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Inspired by Ted Lasso’s mantra, “Stay curious, not judgmental,” Julie Cox provides three questions she asks herself and students to remain innovative.
Mandy Robek set out on a quest to discover new nonfiction books with characters who offer inspiration, compassion, and heart. Here are eight new titles you won’t want to miss.
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.
Joanne Emery shares about transforming students from researchers who gather facts to poetic scientists. An inspiring booklist is included.
Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart teach students to write informational poetry. They remind us that poetry can serve as a mentor text in many units and does not have to be siloed in its own unit.
Students are entering our classroom with passions. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills consider how to tap students’ excitement and create space for them to share their interests as part of the learning community.
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.
Matt Renwick outlines a four-step process to engage in leadership coaching.
Teacher Educators Teach is a neighborhood in our Leaders Lounge just for teacher educators. Julie Johnson shares how she tackled the problem of engagement and discovers practical ways to make connections.
Quote It:
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
—Albert Einstein
That’s all for this week!
