By Natalie Irons
Associate Director of Instructional Coaching, UCLA Center X
The day after Labor Day traditionally signals the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. A recent headline challenged that notion given that the Autumnal Equinox is September 22, 2024. So maybe we really have a few more weeks of summer ahead! Regardless of when the Earth tilts or the weather changes, as educators at this time, we go back to days governed by a clock, short lunches, often on the go, and multiple daily interactions that can drain social and emotional batteries.
Time framed this way seems out of our control. Being in a rush to help kids, attend to tasks or initiatives that “can’t wait”, we can miss some key understandings about the systems in which we work at this pace, namely that what we give attention to grows. When we put energy into all the things that can’t wait, the more those things seem to pile up. We are then focused on a constant fixing frenzy, forgetting that we can take action in other forms to address the problems we face. One action is in the moment and how we choose to interact with someone.
Taking time to listen and be available for someone is the kind of action that is intentional and often doesn’t come naturally. And yet, “our presence is a valuable gift that can impact the lives of those around us. It can be the difference between a good conversation and a great one,” states Thomas Oppong. When I think about my own challenges with my 16-year-old daughter, she has at times very overtly, reminded me that pushing too hard to make a decision or get something done, only creates more angst in the long run. Not sensing or asking for what she needs from me in those moments, we end up wasting more time and energy than necessary. When I am taking time with her, I feel that gift of presence doing magic, bringing her to greater awareness of herself. That is truly time well spent.
As you consider the busy first weeks of school, at work, or in your home life, how might you be spending your time in the present moment? What thoughts might be racing, keeping you from the moment? What might be the long-term effects of taking just a bit more time with the people around you?