I was on a walk with my five-year-old daughter the other day and it was lovely outside. The sun was finally shining and the snow was all gone. Yes, you read that correctly…snow. It has been snowing in Central New York through the end of April. Quarantine in the cold and snow with two kids has been…interesting…
So, on this sunny stroll she explored her thoughts and articulated something tremendously profound to me. She said “Mommy, when I have an idea in my head, my brain makes me think it. Then, I feel like I need to share and say it to someone. So if I think something and then share it with you…then you get to have it. And then, you can share it with someone else. It’s yours now. Like, something from me is now a part of you, and can be a part of someone else, and then someone else and someone else. So like, this thought I’m having about this stuff…it’s now inside of your brain and a part of you.” And after a long pause “That’s pretty great, huh?”
Yes. Yes it is pretty great. And when I got home I got to thinking about the things I share, and about the things I receive; the things I let “inside of my brain,” and the things I express to the world to put in their brains.
Thanks to my incredibly insightful daughter, I decided two things:
- I am going to be more aware of the things that I read, scroll, and click. I am going to acknowledge that these thoughts from other people become a part of me in some way, even if I may not realize it.
- I will continue to share my truths, even though it may be messy. If I am going to share something that will become a part of someone else then I need to share truth – whatever that may be.
So what the heck does this have to do with teaching? Well…you share with me.
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