Charlie’s Always Tardy
Honoring the Present Moment
“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.” -Eckhart Tolle, Practicing the Power of Now
Taylor Smith a middle school teacher, brought great joy to the students while gaining self-fulfillment. A disciple of Eckhart Tolle’s philosophy, Taylor honored the present moment even during moments of chaos that could swarm the hallways of an urban middle school.
Perhaps it was Taylor’s experience as a military veteran having been deployed to Afghanistan that prepared this teacher for the occasional disorder of middle school. Interruptions and disruptions during teaching can and will happen. They may come from inside or outside the classroom. Yet inside Taylor’s classroom, the students followed the procedures, and met the expectations of respectful behavior. Every student’s dignity was celebrated. Taylor’s classroom was a safe place, a sanctuary for all students.
While observing one of Taylor’s classes, I certainly was not surprised by the gracious welcome of a student who was tardy to the second period class.
The students were seated in a circle, each holding their copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Taylor had begun facilitating the group discussion when Charlie burst into the classroom. All of the students turned to look at their classmate who had paused at the door. Taylor rose from the seat, smiled at Charlie, then said, “Charlie, welcome to class.” And pointing to an open seat said, “I have saved this seat for you. Please join our class discussion.”
When Charlie was seated, Taylor then asked the class, “Who would like to volunteer to share with Charlie some of our observations about the various conflicts in To Kill a Mockingbird?”
Taylor’s attention to the present moment is an understanding to maintain an open heart for all students. This does not make Taylor vulnerable, rather it creates a greater awareness of the students, and their circumstances. On the other hand, many of Taylor’s colleagues publicly scolded Charlie for being tardy. Comments such as, “Charlie, you’re always tardy,” emphasizing the word always. Or, “It’s about time you rolled out of bed and got to school.”
Taylor understood the conditions of Charlie’s home life. As the only child of a single mother battling drug and alcohol addictions, Charlie became the “adult” at home. Mornings became an extended and contentious struggle. Charlie’s mother required help to wake up, and to get herself ready for work. It was Charlie’s mother who could not roll out of bed and arrive on time. Charlie carefully guarded the details of the dysfunction at home, especially from the teachers. However, Taylor’s intuition and by reading the clues, especially during meetings with Charlie’s mother, Taylor discreetly lifted the veil to reveal the secrets at home.
I have learned that teaching and learning have a synergistic relationship -- the giving and receiving in a classroom is reciprocal. At the end of the day, a teacher will have learned as much, or perhaps more, than their students. Students will have acquired knowledge, an understanding of its meaning, especially its relevance to themself and their community. And, when students such as Charlie, have a reason to attend school, despite the obstacles and barriers, because there is a teacher, a Taylor, at the school whose empathy and compassion, tells Charlie, “You belong here in my classroom, always.”
“We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” -Mother Theresa
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Presence of Mind as the ability to remain calm, think clearly, and act sensibly in an unexpected emergency or highly stressful situation. It means keeping your composure so you can make the right decision rather than reacting out of panic.
Note: It was a common occurrence for the team of ELA teachers in our middle school to observe the instruction of our colleagues, especially during class discussions. We provided constructive feedback for each other for the intention of improving our skills as a neutral facilitator of the Socratic dialogue; ensuring we included all students in the discussion; and not providing commentary or our opinions on student responses. The goal was for the students to develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, and evidence-based writing.