I’ve been thinking more about yin and yang: seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent.

On my ride last night, I listened to The King Center hosting a conversation featuring Dr. #BrenéBrown and Dr. #BerniceAKing moderated by #SamCollier. In case you missed it, take a listen.

 

Dr. Bernice King explained that this conversation was “going to be heavy in a light way. These are serious times, and as we get through them, we have to do it in a way that it doesn’t weigh too heavily on us.”

Heavy in a light way.

Hmm…seemingly opposite or contrary forces that may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent.

Dr. Brené Brown reminded us, again, that there is no courageous behavior without vulnerability.

As our faculty share how they are in yin and yang fashion, we hear

I feel exhausted and encouraged.

I feel creative and criticized.

I feel celebrated and criticized.

I feel like I’m working past my capacity and that it is not enough.

I feel like I’ve found a rhythm and I wonder how to mix it up.

I feel scared and confident.

I feel strong and sad.

I feel brave and afraid.

I love my new commute and I’d give anything to go back to school, traffic and all.

I see and celebrate my students’ successes, and yet, I feel like I’m failing.

An open note from me to you…

My dear teachers and parents,

What you are doing is hard. You are not trained for what you have been asked to do.  No one is.  Yet, you are teaching and they are learning. (And so are we!)

Teachers, we know you miss your students, their hugs, smiles, laughter, and tiny, powerful moments. Google Meet connects us in yin-and-yang ways. We can see, hear, talk with, and laugh with each other, yet we miss the physical presence of our community. We applaud your creativity, your intentional planning, the volumes of feedback, and the care and concern you offer our students and their families as you attend to your family’s needs too.

Parents, we know that you are working, worried, and weary. You are tackling our learning plans as you can for your children. You know how to read, compute, investigate, and write. It is incredibly complex to teach these skills, and yet you press on. We applaud your engagement, effort, and willingness to lead learning. It’s really difficult to teach those you love the most, and you do it anyway.

Teachers and parents, we are on the same team focused on the care of our students and children.  We have the same goals, hopes, and dreams. We wish the venue was Trinity School. There is so much to miss, yet we are gaining so much.  We know each other so much better differently now.

This critical work – schooling – feels opposite or contrary to the norm, and yet it is actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. We thank you for your growth mindset as well as your trust and faith in each other.

I love you, and I miss you.

I miss you, even though I talk with you more often now that we are apart.

God, give [us] the strength and courage to
contribute more than [we} criticize.