This week felt extremely long for some reason. I think what made it longer than it should have been was the fact that we just came off MEA break, where I only worked three days. Anytime you are coming from a vacation, time seems to need time to get back into order.

I also learned a lot this week. Maybe I should say that I learned a lot, but rather that I was reminded of a lot. One of the biggest reminders this week was something I stumbled upon without even trying. When listening to a student after asking them to explain why they are behaving in a certain way, I was reminded about how powerful listening can be. Sometimes we get so upset that we forget to consider the environment as a whole that our students are living in.

This is also the second time that I have learned about something heavy about my students where I really felt it. The first time was when I learned about how religious minority Shi’ia Muslims are treated in Saudi Arabia. Yesterday it was how Cambodia is facing massive land grabs that are affecting the poor and making people homeless. This just reminds me about how much our news is filtered through the lens of America.

To end on a positive note, earlier this week we had our first real SEED meeting of the school year where we invited others to come and join us. We had 5 new enrollees and were able to have some great conversations about the status of our school system as it sits now in the realm of equity.

Word of the Week: Consideration: from the Latin word considerare meaning to examine. Always examine things from all aspects before drawing a conclusion. Life is hard. There is no need to make it any harder on someone because you can’t see things the way they do.