QUOTE:  "Awe is the beginning of wisdom.  Awe is the beginning of education." (Matthew Fox)

MESSAGE:  When the kids were little, we took them to the Northwest - Seattle, the Oregon coast, obsidian fields, and the Tillamook cheese factory. Our last stop was Crater Lake. I think they remember the fact that there was snow in July and we had a snowball fight. I remember feeling completely awed as we walked up to the first overlook and could see the entire caldera in its serenity and vastness.
Awe involves a sense of being in the presence of something impressive or significant. It awe-ften arises when we observe or are surrounded by something that defies our understanding or knowledge.

Our feeling of awe is triggered by things like nature, art or music, human interactions or accomplishments and can sometimes involve a little bit of fear, intimidation, or humility.

Sometimes, ‘awe’ is used interchangeably with ‘wonder’.

Wonder is the desire to understand or to explore something new or mysterious, so it’s more reflective than awe. Basically, awe is observing, and wonder is seeking to understand.

Both of these emotions are ‘good’ ones, and ones that should be sought out and cultivated since they enhance one’s feeling of well-being and can forge stronger social connections.

THIS WEEK TRY THIS: What memory do you have of being awestruck? What are you wondering about right now? Share those memories with others and be sure to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in your students.

DAD JOKE:  I've written a book on how to fall down the stairs.  It's a step-by-step guide.

QUOTE:  Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions.  Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust. (Ivan Krastev) 

MESSAGE:  During our Administrator Academy this last week, my co-facilitator Carla Philibert and I were leading a discussion on transparency within schools.  A longer than expected discussion followed, in which the group identified and then wrestled with the interconnected concepts of transparency, trust, and affirmation.

I took a peek at Google Trends to see how each of those words has shown up in search terms since 2004, because it sure seems like they are on the rise. The uptick hasn’t been as steep as I expected.

Trust has been covered here before, and in that issue, ‘Transparency’ topped the list  of strategies to consider when building trust in the workplace. For this use of transparency, I like the definition from The Leadership Sphere:  “Transparency…involves openness and the willingness to share information, both positive and negative, with all relevant parties.” (Italics are mine)

Oxford Dictionary defines affirmation as “emotional support or encouragement.” In other words, looking for positive feedback.

When we only share the positive information, we are looking for affirmation rather than being transparent. The group last Monday came to the consensus that often in schools, people (in this case administrators), often use the guise of transparency to gain affirmation.  This behavior can either be a response to a lack of trust or can result in an erosion of trust prompted by an oversharing of information, often with no explanation.

Here are two scenarios:  

1. A parent posts a negative comment on Facebook about the school saying that they heard that the funds from a fundraiser were going toward whole-school programs rather than the end-of-year field trip for their kid, as advertised.  In response, the school principal, in an effort to maintain community-school trust, publishes a full accounting of the use of funds on the school website’s main page, and continues to do so with all future fundraisers.  This deluge of information causes a subsequent post on Facebook to ponder whether the school is trying to hide something.  QUESTION:  are they being transparent or seeking affirmation?
   
   
2. A school principal is trying to mend some deep mistrust between staff and administration. In their weekly newsletter, the principal decides to increase transparency by celebrating all the good things happening in the school - even highlighting a staff member in each issue.  QUESTION:  are they being transparent or seeking affirmation?

WHAT IF the principals in each of these situations made their procedures easily available, and advertised the availability rather than the procedures themselves?  Perhaps on the school website there is a page dedicated to testing and other school data (not all of that will be positive).  The administrator could then use individual conversations rather than blanket emails/publications to build personal and procedural trust.

THIS WEEK TRY THIS:  When you publish or share something, are you giving people access to information, or are you looking for someone to appreciate you?

DAD JOKE:  What do you call a nervous javelin thrower?  Shakespeare
DAD JOKE #2 (in honor of Moment of Laughter Day):  What do you call a magician who loses is magic?  Ian.

QUOTE:  " I believe rest, sleep, naps, daydreaming, and slowing down can help us all wake up to see the truth of ourselves.  Rest is a healing portal to our deepest selves." (Tricia Hersey)

MESSAGE:  Tricia Hersey, the ‘Nap Bishop’, writes (and I paraphrase) that we can’t resist the grind culture without resisting capitalism and white supremacy - that those two institutions gained power on the backs of black and brown people.  I believe that to be true.

I also believe that our grind culture is exacerbated by our American sense of individualism.  My mother used to tell me and my sister all the time that there’s “no rest for the wicked,” indicating to my 9-year old self that a) we are wicked, and b) we need to keep on keepin’ on despite weariness.  In my old age, I’ve decided that both of those concepts are not productive. (side note:  that quote is actually based on Isaiah 48:20 and 57:20-21.  “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”  Since then, ‘no rest for the wicked’ has served as inspiration for many songs and films)

American grind culture refers to the belief that constant, relentless work and a hustle mentality are the keys to success, often at the expense of personal well-being and work-life harmony.

My third belief this week is that - as in so many aspects of life - there is a fine balance to walk here.  On the one side is exhausting hustle and on the other side is the deadly sin of sloth. Somewhere in between is the Goldilocks Spot where we can be active and productive without wearing ourselves (and others) out.

But where is that balance?  It depends.

What is too much for some people is not enough for others. I cannot say what is excess and what is sloth for you because I do not know your limits or your capability in pushing those limits. Once again, self-awareness and curiosity are key here, along with our agency and ability to communicate our limits to ourselves and others with honesty.

How will you resist by resting this week?

THIS WEEK TRY THIS:  Take 30 seconds and write down everything on your mental to-do list.  Next, go through and choose the top 5.  For the remainder, ask yourself, “What would REALLY happen if I didn’t get to any of these things?”  Not what might or could happen based on your fears, but what will most probably happen.  For example, if you didn’t respond to your emails for a day, people MOST LIKELY wouldn’t do anything (and for those who do - it’s more about them than you).

DAD JOKE:  My wife calls me 'The Computer.'  It's nothing to do with intelligence; I go to sleep if left unattended for 15 minutes.