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Give Them a Minute


It's mid-June and grades are completed but the school year trudges on. I find myself yawning at 2pm and barely finding the energy to make it through the day. But I still smile, when kids come up to me, even at moments when I'm longing for alone time, I tell myself "They need to be heard. Give them a minute." I try to be present for them, not looking at my phone, or my watch, or my computer. I listen as intently as I can and try to be present. I know that so many kids, from those that are perceived as cool and popular to those that are considered lonely and outsiders, need to be heard. I am grateful in these moments that kids can look to me as a person to talk with. Teacher and student relationships matter and it's more than a hashtag or PD buzzword. Kids are kids and may have great families and lives outside the building, or they may not. The simple act of presently listening can go far. So as I continue to walk like a zombie through the last few weeks of school, I write this as a call to remind myself the power of listening presently to be there for my students.
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