I am reading @BreneBrown’s Dare to Lead and was intrigued by a concept called Sliding Door Moments:
“It turns out that trust is in fact earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visable actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection.” ~ Brene Brown
In doing more research, I found many articles on the topic and its impact on students. Recently, Buffalo Bills retiree Kyle Williams spoke of how a Sliding Door Moment by a teacher changed the trajectory of his life at age 16. If I could guess, I bet the teacher who spoke to Kyle didn’t realize at the time what a life-changing moment was occurring. He simply wanted to build Kyle up and took action.
As Brene wrote, a solid foundation of trust is built through these moments. How many students do we, as teachers, have opportunities to connect with every day? I think of moments where in my gut I knew a kid looked down and was off by themselves, but I was late for a meeting or some such thing and kept walking. I missed my moment of trust with that student.
I hope to recognize more Sliding Glass Moments in the upcoming days, months and years. I want to seize the opportunity to reach kids and adults outside of the classroom, one moment at a time.
By choosing to keep walking or ignoring, I am erasing trust with my students and I can no longer abide by that.
How will you seize on Sliding Glass Moments in your daily life?