What time is it? Where are you?

If you are familiar with the book Way of the Peaceful Warrior then you are familiar with the reference “What time is it?” and “Where are you?” Way of the Peaceful Warrior is advertised as

A book that could change your life: When Dan Millman was a young man, he expected that hard work would eventually bring a life of comfort, wisdom, and happiness. Yet, despite his many successes, he was haunted by the feeling that something was missing. Awakened by dark dreams one night, Dan found himself at a gas station with an old man named Socrates, and his world was changed forever. 

In this autobiography Dan describes Socrates as a mentor who seems to ask these unusually out of place questions at times when Dan is confused, anxious, and basically out of sorts.  The questions are meant to ground Dan in order to keep him in the present as the appropriate response to each are:

Q.  What time is it?   A. Now

Q.  Where are you?  A. Here

    Over the years as I am in and out of classrooms while having conversations with teachers I have had this urge to ask, “What time is it?” and “Where are you?” when teachers lament that they need to do “X” because next year the students are going to have to do it at “Y” school/grade.  The teachers are anxious about how they are going to get the students ready and concerned for what might happen to the young people in the future. This has happened at every level in our district even though "X" isn't necessarily appropriate for the young person's current grade level. However, it does seem to be a universal burden that many teachers unnecessarily bear. I get their concerns, but the best thing we can do is to focus on what we can and should be doing now at this particular grade level or class (here).  In short, we need to focus on the process in order to obtain the product we desire and not the other way around. (Spec #4 from A New Narrative for Our Schools)

     One of the best analogies for describing schools is to look at them as a greenhouse (also see Adopting a Greenhouse Philosophy for Schools), because ultimately the success of any school, like a greenhouse, should be measured by how healthy, how strong, and how “deeply rooted” the individuals are that leave the school.  Our young peoples’ metaphorical “roots” are those qualitative skills that are “under the surface” such as: collaboration, communication, empathy, perseverance, critical thinking, etc.  The greenhouse is intended to provide the ideal conditions for the plant’s roots to develop, so that those roots will be able to anchor, support, and provide nutrients to the plant no matter the environment in which the plant is placed.  So too should the environment in our schools nurture the “roots” of young people as these “roots” will allow young people to be anchored and supported no matter the environment (school, work, or military) in which they place down their roots.  

     Keeping this analogy in mind, we would be shocked to find the caretaker of a greenhouse subjecting the seedlings in a greenhouse to intense heat from a heat lamp and denying water to these vulnerable plants because there is a chance that when they leave the greenhouse the plants could be exposed to extreme heat and drought. These actions by the caretaker would actually stunt root growth.  We would instead expect the caretaker to respond in the opposite manner. Those plants with the deepest and strongest roots would have the best chance to survive a drought, so it is important for the caretaker of a greenhouse to nurture the roots of each developing seedling under ideal conditions. The caretaker is focusing on the here and now in order to best prepare the young seedlings for the future  If this is true for the greenhouse caretaker, then why do so many of us educators put young people in situations in school akin to a heat lamp in the name of getting students ready for the next grade level or level of schooling? 

In schools we instead need to be focusing on what we should be doing that is appropriate for this grade level or class. Learning is developed along a continuum and if we sacrifice the here and now in the name of the “what ifs” further down the continuum then young people in our classrooms will not be prepared for the next steps.   We will have completed a self fulfilling prophecy that we were so anxious about in the first place. However, if we do focus on what we have control of and the next appropriate steps for the young people in our classroom we will be nurturing their roots which will best prepare them for their next steps. It is the opposite of what we often find ourselves doing, but exactly what we should be doing.  So, the next time we find ourself or a colleague getting anxious about the young people in our classroom not being ready for all the things they might need to do in the next grade level we should stop and remember to ask, “What time is it?” and “Where are you?” We will find those questions will refocus us on what is important and needed. In fact, I suspect these grounding questions will bring about a sense of peace that will ultimately lead to being more impactful educators.  One might even say we would be following the Way of the Peaceful Educator.