When you walk into a museum or art gallery,
the paintings are not generally tacked to the wall. Some might be giant
canvases- absent of wooden or metal frames. But most are mounted in ornately
carved fixtures. They are bare or covered in glass- plexi or fragile. They are
set on the wall to receive the right amount of light or sparkle. The wall
itself is a stage. Expressive and illuminated- we are voyeurs of greatness.
We often ignore the frames- they can be the
focal point of course, but the brush strokes, camera angle or charcoal streaks,
tend to garner the eye's attention. Framing something can be based in artistic
expression as much as it is a verbal or written one. The font, spacing and
visual presentation of an article, or chapter of a book, is framed very much
the same way. When we design a speech or even enter into a basic conversation
we frame it- choose our words, pauses and inflections wisely- at least we try.
The gravitas of our personality, the slip
stream of our consciousness, as we traverse our surroundings- they both collide
to make us who we are- but we often still frame it with a set of principles,
peer review and human filters- we have come to find ourselves wading in. The
zeitgeist pool. Most of us carry deep inside a framework of familial advice and
rational reasoning. At each corner of the chassis: sentimental uplift,
objectivity, subjectivity and emotional reality. We carry the tools to keep us
mounted on the wall, we just often fall off the nail.
We muddle and trickle through the minefield of
“Cancel Culture.” We have both a mechanistic and complexity mindset. We have so
much to say. We want to express ourselves. We want to be positive, yet fall
into the trap of avoidance and misunderstanding. It is often safer to frame our
wall with perfect situations and colorful adornments of life. We are circling
the room- staring at the artwork of others, hearing the “Listen to me,” “Listen
up,” and trends of the loudest- so we unlisten and tune out. I know I do. Think
about your classroom- do you ever say those words?
It is all how you frame it.
We all suffer from a minimal speech thought
differential. We think faster than someone talks. So we often lose focus. We
switch our attention from the landscapes and self-portraits, to the gold
painted or shiny metal frames. We think about what we would put inside them,
rather than what is in them. We ruminate on what we are having for dinner, or
what the last person said to us to make us rethink something. In other words,
we are human and as a human- our minds wander. It is a well-practiced,
developed and then practiced again skill- to stay focused and engaged for an
extended amount of time.
Even when we frame our lessons with fanfare
and intrigue- we will lose most of our students. So we have brain breaks,
think-pair-share and other moments where we actually provide time for their
minds to wander- yet we give the direction. Then we expect them to be on topic.
This is ‘framing’ with a masterpiece in mind. Yet, masterpieces are rarely
forced. We as educators need to just give students time to breathe- to chit
chat and be kids. When we do this- we set a tone of respect and admiration. We
are saying “I admire your focus and engagement, now just be a kid- you deserve
the break.”
We need a new set of rules and routines. Not
giving up the frame- but letting go of some of what “it has always worked in
the past” and focus more on the “I’m not sure how exactly this will work but I
know if I try it- something awesome will come of it.” We need to stop asking
why? And say instead- Tell me about a time when…. Or share with me how you feel
about the content right now… This frames the conversation, not with a choice or
expectation- but with a - be you, share your story moment. I do this with
one-minute check in’s and now it is a staple in our class discussions as well.
But it is taking practice, I admit.
We as educators have a keen eye- we know by
the shift, fidget and distanced glance, when students are no longer engaged. We
walk through the murky, messy, meander of classroom life- with ease- we create
active lessons, we provide collaborative time, we student-center our
classrooms- but is this enough? Do we engage them 100% of the time? No.
Absolutely not. But we try. Yet, we try- often by instinct and practice alone.
We have to start toppling the canoe and forcing ourselves to swim in uncharted
waters. This is scary because as educators- we like to have the frame well
mounted and secure. We like the lighting to enhance and the climate to be mild
and forgiving.
But, we have to seed the clouds sometime and
let it pour. Let the deluge force us to reframe, rethink and redesign. We need
to refocus on the proclivities and possibilities rather than the perfection.
Education is messy. Lean into it. Trust your instinct but also take risks and
yes, fall down in the mud and muck and maybe sit in it for a bit. Let it stick
to your fingers. Students do love to play in the dirt, they love to make mud
pies and get filthy in the puddles of change. So let them. They will thank you
for it- maybe not with words, but with learning and progress.
We sometimes as educators try so hard to stick
the landing, or “crush it” on a daily basis. But, when we are focusing on the
lesson- are our students really connecting or are they compliant? Are our students
learning or are they witnessing learning? Are they bystanders in the bustle of
classroom synergy? I know I think about this a lot. I reflect on why I became
an educator. When I was in school- there was little fanfare, but there was
learning. I think now, there is both and I am thankful for that. I am thankful
to be a part of the practical rebellion, the purposeful pioneering of
educational change.
But, it is how you frame it. Parents want
their children to learn in a safe, organized classroom. Students want to learn
in a comfortable, fun environment. Teachers want to teach in an engaged,
energetic space. In order to achieve all of this, we need to find the
framework- we need to carve the frame, we need to paint the landscape, but also
be willing to trash it and start over. We do not want our students in the rear
vestiges, we need them in the center. Assembling the artwork, hanging the
masterpieces. Not ours, but theirs- and this means giving time for them to
crush it, allowing space for deep engagement, and interactive learning being
more of them and less of us.
I became an educator not for wealth (of
course) or accolades. But I did have self-interest on my mind.
I needed to be heard- because as a child in
school, I was ignored. I needed for my words to be valued and my insight to be
respected. I needed to make a difference - maybe not macro but micro because it
is the small, incremental, progressive changes that really stick and follow our
students into the future.
I started out, twenty years ago, with an idea
of what made a great teacher- but that was smeared and recreated many times.
Sometimes from what I have seen, read or even imagined. But, mostly because I
have allowed myself to recognize my setbacks: Dyslexia, ADD and struggling to
make eye contact- and giving myself time to create a safe place for me as well.
I have used them to enhance my teaching because they - like a frame- highlight
my inner beauty.
How things are framed matters. Sometimes the
frames are falling apart- sometimes they are ornate and flamboyant, sometimes
they are simple and unadorned. But they are frames. They set us in our ways.
They hold our lives in place. They allow us to be placed on the wall for all to
admire. Our words, actions and thoughts are framed in the zeitgeist and often
we hide them due to the actions, words and thoughts of others. But we still
hold them tight- they are us. Our students do the same. We need to let them find
their style of frame and their surface on which to display them.
I guess I have been thinking a lot lately
about “Cancel Culture” and how much inspiration and beauty is lost, due to its
toxicity. How many of us are not allowing our masterpieces to be seen because
we fear judgment? How many of our students have been veiled with negative
comments and are shying away from being themselves in the classroom? I was
blanketed as a child- I shied away.
The negative zeitgeist is powerful- it is the
bulldozer of creativity. With each dig, a pile of dirt is moved, not mounting
and raising- but burying.
How things are framed matters.
But more importantly- what we choose to put
inside the frame matters most.
What we use to make the world a more positive
place. How we show forgiveness and grace. What we say and what we keep to
ourselves matters. We can not be positive all the time- but we can choose to
not speak about every negative thing we think. We can choose to move past a
negative Tweet, Facebook entry, or Instagram post. We can choose to add joy to
the wall of society, joy rather than toxicity.
Every little frame we add to the wall matters-
it is what creates the bubble we find ourselves in. We live in bubbles- we
create our local safe spaces. Let's make education a bubble of brilliance and
acceptance. Of change and progress. Of shiny days and sparkly classrooms full
of glorious masterpieces- these are timeless. These are the frames of
creativity, inspiration and mindfulness. This for me- is why I became an
educator- for museums might be dusty, and art galleries loud with expressive
thought- but classrooms- they are truly the next showrooms for adventure and
growth. They hold the wall space for future generations to hang their goals and
intentions upon.
I can see the headlines now- “Teachers hand over the paint
brushes and pastels, and education has come to life.”
