Monday, November 26, 2007

ONE YEAR WITH AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Day 54, Monday, November 26, 2007

Today, on several occasions, I was able to focus on and enjoy the brief intervals between activities in class. Normally, my focus is strictly on the activities themselves -- always thinking about doing each activity methodically and thoroughly and then moving briskly on to the next one. Today, though, I remembered to also pay attention to the few moments that come between one activity and another. Actually, they can be surprisingly peaceful spaces of time. They last only a few seconds -- perhaps as we close one book and open another or move from one part of the lesson to another -- but, when I paid attention to them today, they proved to be refreshing moments of serenity. For instance, when we finished our silent reading and I asked the students to turn to the lesson for today, there were about 15 seconds of peace for me as I simply listened alertly to the closing of books and shuffling of papers. For those few seconds, I wasn't doing anything, preparing anything, or fretting over anything. I was just enjoying the moments, and it was a remarkably revitalizing time for me.

No comments: