Can't Believe I Didn't See It

Many years ago when my children were toddlers, we lived in a little town house in sleepy Juno Beach, Florida. The town houses were built in the eighties with the typical overwhelming amount of brown and cream everywhere.

The neighborhood consisted mostly of retired snowbirds who were not thrilled to see a young family move in, and they definitely did not appreciate the quiver of surfboards and bikes that filled up our garage. We couldn’t have been happier, though, because one block to the east was the beach. I ran along the beach road with the kids in the stroller. I walked them to the beach to swim and build sandcastles to wear them out before their afternoon nap. It wasn’t fancy, but it was special.

Fast-forward 10 years and we live in a different home, but now my kids row on a crew team right by our old neighborhood. I like to walk while they are at practice, and I stumbled upon an incredible natural preserve right behind my old neighborhood. There are miles of trails with overgrown vegetation. It is a tropical version of a walk through the woods. I treasure my walks alone. I feel peaceful, more connected to nature, and grounded. The crazy thing is that I lived right next to these trails for years and had no clue they existed. I was so busy as a teacher and a mom of little ones that I didn’t see what was in my own backyard.

I often wonder how easy it is to do the same thing at school. All of the demands on a teacher leave a never-ending checklist, and in my quest to check boxes, I can forget to savor and delight in the students right in front of me. Teachers have been asked to take on more than we ever thought possible over the last two years, and yet we continue to show up because of our devotion to our students. I don’t want to let the data collection, the gains that need to be made, the new curriculum—or anything else, for that matter—take up so much of my effort that I forget to delight in students. I want to celebrate a lost tooth, notice a haircut, and laugh at a joke.

How do you make time to delight in your students? Do you find that it leaves you feeling a little more peaceful, connected, and grounded? I know I do!