Last weekend I was at a conference here in Michigan. It was amazing. I saw and listened to some great voices in education. Some I had never been lucky enough to hear before.
The last day of the three-day conference Ellin Oliver Keene was the keynote. I've been curious to read her new book, Engaging Children, but hadn't gotten it yet.
I listened to her talk. I was not surprised by my furious note-taking so I could attempt to capture as many words as possible. One quote she shared is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It has given me pause. It's made me think about whether I'm generous in this way. Am I too caught up in my own thoughts? I tend to think a lot and fast and sometimes this causes me to miss important moments. To not pay attention.
What I appreciated most was developing a better understanding of what engagement really is and what it really isn't. Attention is a generous gift we give to someone in front of us. I like thinking of it in this way and it makes me want to give more of my attention away.
What a wonderful way to describe attention. I love that. Just today, I told a group of kids that I needed their attention. I wonder how it would have sounded had I asked for the gift of their attention. . .
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