Mary’s Minute
“Every person in this
life has something to teach me – and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to
truly listening.”
~ Catherine Doucette
For me there are two
valuable lessons in the quote above. The
first is about valuing perspectives, and the second is about the act/art of
listening.
When we see that every
person has something of value to teach us, we begin to see the world
differently. This attitude enables us to
think knowledge as relative and dynamic.
Not everyone is equal in intelligence, but everyone has a unique
perspective that is of interest and can enlighten others. If we think of intelligence as a finite body
of knowledge, then we can dismiss the value of others, but knowledge is not
finite. Teachers who see their students
in an active sense, not as passive participants, understand this notion. Once we truly accept the value of multiple
perspectives, then our next task is to use active listening to learn from
others. It may not always be easy to
live without judging others and recognizing that we can learn from them, but
when we do we open ourselves up to endless opportunities for growth, fueled by
inquiry. Believe that we can learn from
everyone, and I promise you that we will!
Have a great week!
Mary
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