The traditional holiday season often brings excruciating pain for many people, and this is no exception for many of our students. For a teacher, this can be overwhelming. Daunting. It takes a lot of patience. Sometimes it takes more re-teaching in the classroom setting.
I find myself having more hard conversations.
Like many of my colleagues, I often think and worry about my students when I am not at school, especially when I know that they are hurting and going through some tough times. One student in particular has been on my mind this weekend. In my Haiku-A-Day challenge for December, I wrote a double haiku in reflection regarding a recent exchange with this student:
Red-rimmed eyes. Flowing
tears. My first impulse: to fix.
To comfort. Protect.
tears. My first impulse: to fix.
To comfort. Protect.
Yet I can't do much
but listen, show up, see you.
Provide a safe space.
but listen, show up, see you.
Provide a safe space.
Thanks for knowing that sometimes the best you do is give the students a safe space to be. It's tough but even as a mentor I can't do all that much for my student besides listen, show up and see them for them.
ReplyDeleteSo true! It's really what we can do for anyone. It took me a long time to learn that we cannot fix people.
DeleteMy first impulse is always to fix too. "Let's sit down and try to solve this problem!" It has taken me a long time to learn that my students don't share their struggles with me so that I will try to fix the problem. They seek connection, empathy, validation; most of all, they seek to be seen and heard.
ReplyDeleteSuch an important thought, Elisabeth. People do generally seek connection, empathy, validation, and to be seen and heard.
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