If you're just joining in on this series, here's what's going on:
I'm using the quotes as a basis for reflection on a shift in my professional journey. You see, for 12 years I was an elementary music teacher and now I've found myself to be an assistant principal. In a time that I anticipate to be filled with much personal and professional growth, I'd like to be sure and carve out some purposeful reflection time. As an educator, I've personally benefited from purposeful reflection through blogging and I can only imagine that I'll still benefit from reflective blogging as a leader in education.
My goal is to spend some time in each post writing about the quote, about the author of the quote (when possible), and about how I see the quote and/or the background image of the quote applying to my day-to-day world.
As a gal who always credits a source, I'd like to give a shout out to a dear friend, Kara Lowery, for coming up with the name of the series. Kara is a fabulous special education teacher who specializes in working with children who have autism. Not only is she a gifted teacher; she's also terrifically punny.
Read on; enjoy!
The owl both directly and indirectly answers each of his questions with a poem that leads to more questions than answers. Solomon doesn't let himself be led to more questions based on the response of the owl, but rather asks another question that doesn't seem to be based on the response at all. The reader could draw a parallel that each of the questions being asked of the owl are based on Solomon's observations, but after reading the story I really don't see where a deeper connection could be made. I feel like the questions based on actions aren't really questions that are showing a response to the owl--nothing was tailor made for the owl based on the owl's responses.
This Rookie AP has found that the art of questioning was an unexpected necessary skill to possess. Everyone wants to be listened to and feel like they're really being heard, and it's all about how a question is posed to them. Did the owl in Solomon's conversation truly felt listened to? If I were the owl, I wouldn't think so. It's almost like Solomon was reading off a quiz from a Cosmo magazine, or whatever their version of Cosmo was back when this "conversation" took place.
Aside from the questions that Solomon posed, I was also struck by how Solomon accepted the responses and moved on to his next question. When I'm talking to students and trying to unravel what happened on the playground, or why they were so upset in class, I sometimes am blindsided by what the student actually says versus what I thought the student would say. Or maybe I'm blindsided by a theory that I've read about but not experienced in that particular way.
I'll share an example:
A student became very upset because a teacher took something from her. It made sense to me that the student became upset, because no one likes when people take things away and especially when the thing that's taken away is one of your few possessions from home.
Here's what I didn't expect to be revealed during my unraveling of the situation: the item(s) that were taken from the girl had been purchased for her by a parent who isn't living at her house and who doesn't often come around.
((That boom you just felt was the same boom I felt when I realized just how significant that insignificant item actually was))
Let's all take a step to the side and understand that I certainly agree that a teacher taking away item(s) does not allow for a student to respond in the way that she did to bring her into the front office. But, man. I asked a few follow up questions (unlike what Solomon did during his conversation) and I found out way more about the situation and the student. I like that this quote has led me to research this story because it helps me to remember the importance of asking the follow up questions. I can't just stop because I got words out of a student or a staff member--ask a few more questions and dig until I figure out the hidden details.
Because they're there.