Perspective

In 40 minutes I am to meet with a superintendent to talk about instructional coaching.  While no expert and certainly not ready to write the "how to" book, I do have something to offer, perspective.

What is it like to be a superintendent, an ER doctor, a factory worker, a firefighter, a city employee, confined to a wheel chair, unemployed, in a nursing home, deathly sick, being chased by terrorist?  I don't know.  There are millions upon millions of perspectives I don't know.  That is because the only perspective I have is mine. The experiences that shaped me may be similar to a thousand others, but it is still not the same experience.  My reaction to an event may have been mild and forgotten but to someone else, life altering.  

So, as we visit today, may we each take the stance of perspective and simply listen.  Listen to the stories that have shaped us.  Listen to the lessons that we have gleaned, to the highs and lows of life, to the mistakes and the got it rights.  Ask questions, dig a little deeper, be curious.   Simply listen to life from their perspective.  It doesn't mean that I have to agree, but simply that I listened and tried to understand life from their perspective.