Week 5.
This week I was reminded of a tradition that my husband started a few years ago. It's a simple act of laying by the kids at night and "noticing" some of the things they did during the day. Since Montessori teaches us not to overly praise kids, it kind of became the practice we found most fits our family. It goes something like this: "Hi (insert child's name), today I noticed that you wore your favorite blue shirt. I noticed that you played nicely with your sister, I noticed that you were sad when you lost your toy. I noticed that you seemed happy when you were riding your bike..."
Nothing fancy. No energy or emotion about the notices. No focusing on only the good things. Just noticing.
I bring this up because this week, I was trying to create meals for dinner from things we have in storage in the garage (as mandated by our bi-monthly trips to the grocery). It was tricky and took a lot of creativity to make something that wasn't just spaghetti or burritos...again. So when my family noticed it was a new dish and they actually liked it, it made my whole day. Or when my husband said, "you seem to be doing a great job with homeschooling," I beamed.
What is it about being noticed that lights up our world?
I think there's a deep part in all of us that just wants to be seen. Noticed for our efforts. Valued. And not with a ton of fake compliments, but really noticed.
We got to bed too late the other night and even with his deliriously tired eyes, my 5 year old whispered to me "Mom...don't forget my notices." I smiled to myself because it really matters. We all need to be noticed.
And as teachers, we are rarely noticed. People only usually set up a time to talk to us when there's a problem. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to notice YOU. All you do to help the students feel safe and seen and loved. Even if this season in our country is super wacky, you are all going out of your way to make sure it works for your students. Just because you don't see them every day in person hasn't changed the connection they feel to you. And while it's trickier to take care of them (and yourselves, and your own kids if you have them at home), you really are all doing a great job.
And that's something worth noticing.
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