Change your wipers!

For a few weeks now I've had a somewhat skewed outlook on the world. Literally! My wipers were not performing well and during this rainy fall season here in Northern Kentucky, their lack of performance has proven a tad dangerous.

I finally made the time to stop by my husbands shop and have him change them out.

 Unclip - whack - clip - fwop! 

2 minutes later and I'm looking out of an incredibly clear window.

We always have these options when we see something:
a) look away and ignore
b) look away and think about it
c) look and do nothing
d) look and react
e) look with a open mind
f) look with a changed mindset

So let's play with this scenario - (insert your own here)

 This is an actual scenario that happened while stopping in Mt. Washington, Maryland to meet a friend from our PTcamp, from this past summer, and has extended to an amazing PLN (connected through voxer).

We stopped at a light at an offramp into a neighborhood, a rather busy intersection and saw a person holding a sign that says "Homeless, haven't eaten today. Please help"
I made a comment to my husband as this man was the first of 4 others we saw at the intersection.Here you would think (oh she looked and reacted - choice D....right?...keep reading....)

I watched the driver of  a mini cooper's extend her hand out of the window with what appeared to be packaged crackers. He nodded and I read the words "thank you" on his lips as they were mouthed before he immediately started eating them. He continued to hobble down the intersection with a limp that was hard to ignore. Now with one hand on the sign, the other on his crackers, he looked worn down, He "looked" homeless. Just a few seconds passed and the driver of the car at the front of our line - adjacent to the mini cooper extended his hand out of the window with a bottled water.
He yelled to get the attention of the "beggar" who responded with a quick shuffle between cars to take it - again - showing appreciation with a bow of sorts and a quick "thank you".

We talked about this scenario - as we pulled away - a common sight even near the suburban areas of Northern Kentucky. We also talked about the  scams we have heard about, how lucrative this 'begging' can be.

So the answer to the life scenario multiple choice  - what I really did in this specific scenario: C) look and do nothing!
As if rain on my windscreen  - I merely wiped it away with my old set of wipers. Not quite clearing the window pane and leaving an annoying streak right where the sun will catch later. I categorized this man with all the others I had seen - someone who might be begging to supplement his income (of sorts). You see my lens was already jaded from past experiences of handing fresh hot food to beggars on the streets of Johannesburg, outside of the restaurant where I used to work - only to see it dumped into trash cans a few feet away. My act of giving was not met with appreciation. In that case - he didn't want food. He wanted money to use unwisely. How dare I assume the same of a Maryland man? How dare I - look at a need clearly presented to me and DO NOTHING?
I'll admit, I drove away and thought about him for a minute or two - as we enter into winter and felt a pang in my heart. Yet, he was forgotten as I entered an establishment and enjoyed a beverage with a new friend.

And the point is not to try and paint a picture of privilege and empathetic distance of myself from the needs of society. Just last month I saw a student in the middle school had holes in his shoes and offered to bring in "shoe glue". When I relayed the story to my husband he in turn asked for his shoe size and bought new sneakers the next day for this "stranger". My husbands' multiple choice response was D 'look and react' (even though the experience was through MY eyes).  So why was it easier for us to act on a situation that was more costly ..... I think I have the answer, start percolating on that question.

Fast Forward to Sunday night dinner. My eldest son asked me if I had any experience serving in the soup kitchen down town. (Out of the blue: as we had not shared our story with him from earlier). I shared my experiences and then we talked about agencies that are set up to help and serve a need. Then he talked about how he is more interested in starting a winter clothing drive so that he could help those who don't have. My maternal heart beated strong with pride as James has a servants heart and this is the first time he has really thought something through like this. So we shared some ideas and timelines.You see at some point in his young life - he had been homeless on the streets of Taiwan, eating rice for days, watching his mother shoot whatever money they received into her arm.
He wasn't just wiping his windows with old wipers - enduring the smudge in front of him. He had his wipers changed! His mindset had been changed through experience! Through being adopted and having to not experience desperate need - his life change had cause an attitude shift.
He is old enough to process, share, reflect and make his point of pain as a seed for change.

So how can we in the field of education - change our mindset  (change our wipers and not just our lenses). And lest we be fooled into thinking one book/one interaction/one conference/or one blog post will make lasting ripples that will forever change your life - think again. Constant refreshing is part of our makeup as humans, almost a flaw in our heart/mind DNA structure. Why do you think we love the 'fresh restart' of Mondays (along with copious amounts of coffee). Why do we go back to the gym to keep our muscles active? Why do we celebrate the New Year with the same fervor as packing for vacation. We crave the fresh start....Not changing our wipers - not only leads to visual challenges, but complacent attitudes.

What will you do as a professional to 'change your wipers?'
Why did we jump to help the student and not the stranger - in my opinion it's about relationships. It's about making an investment.

This year I decided to invest in my vision as an educator. Joining #ptcamp was the best professional development opportunity I have ever invested in. The continued learning and investments in each other as professionals and as people has been life changing.

I also decided to join a mentoring program (Ment2Be) as their "coach" developed by my ptcamp friend and colleague Chad Caddell @laughwithchad. I choose to invest in the lives of others, whether I see the ripple now or never.

I challenge myself as I read the blogs of inspiring administrators: lead learners and dreams like @benjamingilpin @victoriaL_Day @tedhiff @joemazza @posickj @PrincipalMN and @jimdetwiler1

Most importantly - this year I have challenged myself to be the most authentic self (day and night) home and school.

I'll let you know when I think my wipers need to be changed - but in case I miss the messages-  feel free to point it out to me!

Thanks for reading!


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