Reading

 read using all your intelligences  

Don't just follow words on a page 

but instead  

use your entire being 

to ascertain truth and story

in the beauty 

that surrounds you

 

Sunday Morning Mental Meanderings while giving feedback to a friend's article

 A lot of thoughts are floating around in my head. I often think of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Brene Brown when confronted with the difficulties of today.  So here are some ideas in general, perhaps not always specific to this portion of writing that are rolling around in my brain. 

I will start with Brene.  The definition of empathy  "  Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position."  I emboldened a part that I feel is the most important.  When I hear the word empathy, I think of the wonderful Brene Brown video on the subject.  I am saying all of this because I think that these are important points to make and come back to over and over again.  (Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them.)   You talk about listening and we know active listening from our rules to live by.  But others do not have that perspective.  Some might say they have listened, but have never truly heard.  I would offer that a principal who says s/he has listened to teachers and then does PD on something totally different has not listened. Then, when the explanation about why this is the right PD is given, that is also not going to be heard because these actions are reciprocal. I think it would be good to write about empathetic listening - active listening.   Today every generation has a cell phone or a computer screen that interferes with listening in the present moment.  Thoughts about the future and ruminations about the past control many minds. For people to be empathetically present for each other is not a common practice. 

Maslow.  Empathy is the cornerstone for each of the stages if you are a person trying to facilitate others in their trajectory upward on the hierarchy because deep listening to others is vital. Security and safety are needed for vulnerability (Brene).  One has to be able to take risks and that can only happen in an environment where others have your back.  I would talk about Maslow at the beginning.  It is something educators know and accept.  It applies to all of us who want to continue to learn and grow.  Risk taking and questioning are important and are evident in schools with an empathetic leader who wants everyone to learn and grow to reach self actualization.  Again, I would suggest that empathy is the foundation for each of the stages in the hierarchy, if one is creating an environment where all reach the top.  One more thing...  if the principal is going to become self-actualized, s/he must also be supported, so creating an empathetic community of learners to support the leader on her journey is vital.  

And just now the idea of "why?" being the most important question/idea just popped into my head.  I remember that from a Marilyn Burns workshop.  It somehow seemed to belong in this note.

This is probably more than you wanted.  Sunday morning mental meanderings!