In Episode 166 this week, I asked the question:
How do YOU want people to respond when you tell them about one of your favorite things?
For me, I can't stop thinking about how people react when they find out I have a podcast. This is a body of work I am proud of, and I'm confident it's impacting the profession I love so much.
Needless to say, I'm a bit enthusiastic about it (on the inside, anyway).
Truth be told, most of the people in my everyday circles struggle to understand what a podcast even is, let alone the amount of passion and sweat I put into producing the show.
So - I'm often met with scenarios where my husband will try to brag on me, or my children will bring it up, and the response is typically something like this:
"Oh. That sounds...nice."
(cue confusion and efforts to promptly move onto the next subject)
Look. I've been on a JOURNEY for most of my lifetime to accept good work as a reward unto itself.
I'm wired to base my perception of my work on what others tell me about it.
(That's not good, by the way. You probably know a thing or two about this, yourself).😊
That considered, I've been intentional about staying focused on creating content I am proud of, regardless of accolades (or lack thereof).
...but I have to say: On the (somewhat rare) occasion someone shows interest in my work?
Even asking ANY kind of follow-up question?
I feel like they genuinely care about learning something about me. Truly, my heart melts a little.
This all sounds a little woe-is-me, and that's not my intent.
The truth is, we live in a society where people often listen to respond; not to understand.
As busy teachers, we can be some of the worst offenders. It's easy to get caught in a pattern of making "small talk" with our students while they're getting settled in; neglecting to truly consider the things they're telling us.
Of course, we have to walk the line between being chatty and getting our work done, but the next time a student shares something they love - or something they're working on - do everyone a favor and ask a follow-up question.
Show interest in their interests.
Well over a decade ago, I had a student who was particularly defiant and struggled to stay focused on tasks at hand. One day she casually mentioned her love for the Disney show, Hannah Montana. I told her I would try listening to a few.
This comment somehow inspired her to bring a Hannah Montana cd to her next piano lesson.
Opportunity knocked and I struck up a deal with her: We could listen to her favorite song the last few minutes of the lesson, but we needed to get our work done first.
Friends, it was pure magic.
For many weeks after that point, our lessons were fruitful, and we spent the last 2-3 minutes listening and singing along to Hannah Montana. It was the best.
(PS: This student is a total grown-up now and this memory makes us both laugh hysterically)
My offer to listen to music with her at the end of her lesson was born out of desperation, but it taught me something important about showing interest in my students' interests.
That warm, fuzzy feeling I get when someone in my everyday life shows interest in my podcasting efforts?
That's the same feeling my students get when I give them the chance to tell me about their latest favorite book or their science fair project.
Phew. This was a long one today... but I hope I encouraged you to be mindful of how quickly you dismiss your students' interests. We ALL need to slow down on occasion and remember our most important job is to nurture unique human beings.
🥂Cheers to avoiding the trap of missing connection opportunities in the name of lesson plans. 🥂
Do you have a success story of meaningful connections made through Favorite Things? Hit REPLY and tell me about it! 😃