Miss T, here!

I just finished re-reading ‘The Power of Moments’ by Chip & Dan Heath. (If you know this book, awesome! If you don’t… get yourself a copy!… There’s a reason I read it a second time around! :P)

I first read this book 2 years ago. One day recently, I started thinking about it. How I wanted to read it again. And refresh my memory of its many lessons.

Two days after that thought, the book ended up on my boyfriend’s doorstep… randomly, through a book exchange he was a part of… 

Talk about synchronistic!! 

I took it as a sign to start reading it again. It was just as good the second time around!

‘The Power of Moments’ a wonderfully inspiring book about how we can capitalize on and craft moments that have the power to be life-changing. (More on HOW in another blog post… :P)

One of the biggest takeaways from this book was:

The Power we have to Create Moments Through Simple Connection.

But the truth is: Our students, our kids, our coworkers, are more than just a number, or a ‘to-do’ to cross off a list. 

They have their own identity. And with their identity, comes a whole background of experiences and moments that shaped them into who they are.

It is important for us to acknowledge each individual identity. After all, we are all different in some way. We’ve had different experiences that all led us up to this one moment. HOW we got here matters just as much, if not more, than the fact that we are here. 

Its our human nature to want to be seen and heard. To be noticed and acknowledged.

The authors of this book suggest a reframe to our thinking… 

Instead of always asking
“What is the matter with you?”,

we simply ask instead
“What MATTERS to YOU?”

See how powerful that statement change is?

We get lost trying to assess and fix problems, we often forget to consider the individual as a whole.. Their feelings and their experiences.

I wanted my students to know that they were loved and heard. I wanted them to feel appreciated, down to their very core.

During a Wednesday afternoon in Mindfulness Club, I brought in different coloured sheets of paper, markers, and crayons. I explained we would be mindfully working on a little project called:

“What matters to me!”

I reminded all of my students that although we are all in the same place, we all have different stories and backgrounds. There are certain things and experiences that make us, us. And how important all of our individual stories are. How those stories deserved to be acknowledged. 

They shared about their families and their experiences. About certain memories that stood out in their minds. About the things they liked and the things they didn’t. Some were personal. Some were sad. 

All were so very beautiful in their own ways.

I learned a lot of things that day. About my students… About our own stories…

About making sure those stories are heard and understood. 

What I’ll remember the most about that day, is the way their eyes lit up just because someone listened…

I really do believe it is as simple as acknowledging those around us. 

Seeing them… I mean, really seeing them. 

We all deserve to be seen.

And the most wonderful part about that…

Is that WE have the power to give others the acknowledgement they deserve…

…the acknowledgement they need.

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