Quote-A-Day: Day 269

Just because someone was there, doesn't mean they were actually "there." #QuoteADay #Day269 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L

Yesterday, in our first Curriculum Council meeting of the year, I had the opportunity to read a passage from D. Graham Burnett called "Catch and Release."  While it is too difficult to sum up the passage in a quick blog post (after an hour Socratic Seminar, I don't even think I have it quite figured out), one interesting point I took from the reading was that simply our presence somewhere alters reality, and often, we don't even realize it.  Therefore, we might think that we're just fading into the background, but in reality, we are having an impact on the world around us.

There's an opposing view to this, though.  We might be somewhere, but because we don't see ourselves as having an impact, we don't invest in actually being "there."  This is a challenge for leaders and learners alike.  If we assume that we don't have an impact on somewhere or someplace, and don't invest ourselves in what happens, it becomes that much more difficult to build capacity for positive change.

We need to realize two things:

First, we have to understand that just by being somewhere, we make a difference.  We alter reality just by stepping into the room, and if we remember that we can make a difference even without "doing something" we're better prepared to assist those we live with and we serve.

Second, if we realize that most of those we serve think that they can be somewhere without actually being "there" we can help them see that everything we do, every place we are, changes reality and makes us participants, even if we would have hoped we weren't.

The big lesson here?  We are always part of the story, even when we think we aren't.  Therefore, we need to make sure that we are always thinking of how what we do influences those around us.