To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the role curiosity plays in gaining perspective, understanding, and empathy for others, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are some ways that we can learn more about other people, cultures, and their 'stories'? Be specific. Intentional Curiosity (Week of 11/16/20)
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The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
As I am sitting down to jot down my thoughts and reflections for the week, I am enjoying a cup of coffee and taking in the sunlight. I often find myself racing (both physically and emotionally) to ‘get it all done’ and this quiet pause feels like a much needed ‘vitamin boost’. We have had a very low-key weekend as a family, spending some time with yard clean-up, enjoying some fires at night, and trying to make time to just be.
Sharing # 1…
I am looking forward to witnessing and hearing how the discussions and work play out this week in advisory as we rekindle some of the work we did with students three years ago with our theme of diversity. Utilizing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Danger of a Single Story (19:16) as a foundation for this work, our hope is to help foster an understanding about the importance of perspective-taking and the role that curiosity plays in helping all of us, individually and collectively, move beyond the ‘single stories’ we tell ourselves and absorb into our thoughts and actions.
Sharing # 2...
On Friday morning I found myself ‘stuck’ in a pattern of thoughts that did not feel productive. It was hard for me to put my finger on the root source, but I knew it was impacting me and my communication. Without going into the details what helped me move forward was opening up and simply talking through ‘the space in my head’ with a trusted colleague. It was an inward curiosity and vulnerability that helped me to take a step forward. Please know this sharing is not intended as advice for others - rather, I was struck once again by the importance of establishing trusted relationships so that we can be curious and vulnerable with one another. This is at the heart of our efforts with our students, families, and one another - allowing our feelings and thoughts to lead our work so that we can gain a greater understanding and appreciation of others.
Sharing # 3...
Maggie had her wisdom teeth earlier this week and after going out for a Dairy Queen run for a blizzard (one of the benefits she experienced after the procedure!) on Wednesday night, she and I turned on the TV to simply ‘tune out’ for a bit and relax. After some surfing of the channel, we came upon a special highlighting the work of presidential historian and biographer, Jon Meacham (@jmeacham). As much as I enjoy diving in and learning, I felt like watching something ‘a bit lighter’. It was Maggie that pushed me to keep it on and watch it with her - and, I can’t thank her enough for pushing me to ‘slow down’, listen, and learn. I have shared a link below to one of Meacham’s speeches below - as much as I enjoyed the messages within, it was the curiosity from Maggie that inspired me and stayed with me. My take-away was that we never know the spark that may lead to greater inquiry - and, an openness to the various ‘sparks’ (in other words, an allowance and space for intentional curiosity) for ourselves and our students is important.
The sampling of responses from last week’s question help to provide a window into the curiosity of our students and community, and the three posts below stem from a place of inquiry (this place of questioning is an important entry point for innovation, relationships, and empathy) - a hope I have is that they will also spark some inquiry and curiosity for others...
Sampling of Responses from Our Last Topic/Question (Week of 11/9/20): What is a long-term goal you have that you are working towards? What is one step can you take to help meet that goal?
- I have been trying to improve my physical wellness. I will limit the candies I eat per day that I got from Halloween.
- Learn more about writing. Pay attention to English and complete my assignments.
- My long term goal is to learn Morse code. To do this I think I need to practice it 3 days a week.
- Getting through remote learning without distractions and breaks.
- I would like to focus on practicing my instrument more often. I can work towards this by setting certain times each week for practicing.
- I’m trying to gain flexibility in my legs and back. I can stretch every day to meet this goal.
- My long term goal is to do better in school. That way I will meet that goal is doing all my homework every day and not slacking
- Getting 3s
- One goal that I have is to be done with my remote work earlier. A step that I can do is be more efficient and organized.
- Getting really good at hockey
- I am working towards doing things faster. To do that, I can focus on smaller things to get done, and not the bigger things.
- One of my goals would be to eliminate racism and become a fencer or help people who are in need.
- Trying to complete all of my work on time, keep using my whiteboard for organizing my assignments
- Being better at hockey - I can shoot more
- Get better grades. I will work harder.
- A long term goal I have is to be able to do a behind the back layup in basketball. I can meet that goal by practicing everyday.
- One long term goal I am working towards is getting some of my grades up.
- My goal is to be a better person
- Get a 3 in all classes. By paying more attention and working at home
- I will turn all my remote work on time, and not have to turn them in late.
- My goal is to read for 30 minutes everyday.
- A long-term goal I am working towards is getting my 2nd degree black belt in karate. (It is basically the rank after black belt.) A step I can take is to start training soon!
- To show decency toward all and take an active role healing the nation. One step is to consciously strive to commit an act of kindness each day.
- My goal is to make the USWNT. I will stay in shape/have a healthy diet.
- My long term goal that I’m working on is learning Spanish well and I can maybe do an extra class.
- I guess one thing I am working towards is just being more social. I talk to others, but I hate standing up and presenting, so that’s something that I am going to be working on.
- My hope would be to ensure that there are absolutely no "gaps" during Hybrid or Remote Learning. Targeted lessons and regular check-in assessments that are small can help.
- I want to start reading again. i can read my dystopian novel.
Does a Single Story Define You?
by Samantha Boardman in Psychology Today
Boardman’s post aligns the Adichie’s talk and highlights the work of others in a similar vein - pushing us to move beyond the ‘single story’, gain greater perspectives, and liberate our thinking, beliefs, and biases.
...people get too attached to the stories they tell about their past—their mother was cold, their father abandoned them, high school was the best (or worst) years of their life, and so on. These are just stories. They are single stories that tell part of a story, but not the whole story. By definition, they leave out a lot of information and leapfrog over nuance and detail. What the good doctor was trying to explain was how recognizing and letting go of the narrow narratives we tell others and we tell ourselves is liberating.
We are drawn to stories. They are in our nature and we are biologically programmed to respond to them. That said, just because stories help us make sense of senseless things doesn’t mean we should get too attached to them or allow them to govern our lives. In fact, the more powerful the story we tell ourselves, the more suspicious we should be.
Question the stories you tell about yourself and others. Let go of the narrative and embrace the nuance, uncertainty, and glorious mess that life can be.
Westmont Magazine Jon Meacham on Three Key Characteristics of the American Revolution
Adaptation of speech by Jon Meacham at Westmont College in 2019
Within this brief post, Meacham defines key characteristics of the American Revolution - they are ones that are certainly worthy of reflection and action - curiosity, humility, and empathy. At the end he adds a ‘fourth’ - candor.
“If we’re not curious about the great forces shaping the world, we fall apart,” Meacham said.
“If we are curious about how previous eras got it right and got it wrong, I think we raise the chances of getting it right.
Humility requires us to admit our mistakes and attempt to learn from them.
The greatest leaders have changed their minds: Lincoln about emancipation, FDR about intervention, JFK about nuclear war, and Reagan about the Soviet Union. “The presidents we remember warmly surprised us. Truman and Johnson ended up being much more broadminded than we expected. Johnson said something immensely important: What is the presidency for if not to do the big things that other people might not? Partisanship is fine, that’s the price of a free government. We are going to disagree. But is that partisanship reflexive or can it be reflective? We have to listen and admit occasionally that the other side has a point—that is America at its best.”
The third quality is empathy, which includes both acts of mercy and of self-interest.
How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart?
by Ben Ehrenreich in The New York Times
Nancy Deveno shared this post with me earlier in the week and it is a great read, offering a historical lens about the ‘fall’ of societies. It is a lengthier read than ones I typically share, but the last paragraph (copied below) really resonated. The persistent focus on adaptability as an essential human trait speaks to our mission, our desire to learn, and our desire to grow and move forward.
If you close your eyes and open them again, the periodic disintegrations that punctuate our history — all those crumbling ruins — begin to fade, and something else comes into focus: wiliness, stubbornness and, perhaps the strongest and most essential human trait, adaptability. Perhaps our ability to band together, to respond creatively to new and difficult circumstances is not some tragic secret snare, as Tainter has it, a story that always ends in sclerotic complexity and collapse. Perhaps it is what we do best. When one way doesn’t work, we try another. When one system fails, we build another. We struggle to do things differently, and we push on. As always, we have no other choice.
At the end of Marc Brackett’s keynote for the Learning and the Brain conference last week, he shared the quote below by Victor Frankl. It speaks to the ‘power’ we possess to make choices for response to stimuli - that powerful choice can lead to growth, understanding, and learning. As we continue our intentional work this week, formally via advisory and formally/informally in our moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and week-to-week interactions and lessons with our students, I hope we will help foster a ‘choice of curiosity (intentional curiosity), coupled with action’ in the pursuit of a wider perspective of stories and continued learning.
As always, let me know of any questions/concerns.
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Take care.
Nat
#willfulhope #willfulaction #longasIcanseethelight