William, our wonderfully rambunctious family dog, has become something of a metaphor. William is totally bonkers yet entirely lovable; because of this, he is the ultimate paradox. Reflecting on William’s behavior has reminded me to show love with my time and a whole lot of heart.
As I’ve noted before, William does things that drive us bananas. But for all of his belligerence and misbehaving, he is surprisingly in touch with his emotions. William is a dog, yet he has real feelings. His heart gets broken, and that’s when he’s his naughtiest. But when we talk to William in a kind voice and pet the spot behind his ear that he loves, or play fetch with him for just 10 minutes, he’s immediately calm and gentle. And, not surprisingly, when we ignore him, he turns into a lunatic-dog. It’s crystal clear to me now — he’s craving our time, our attention. There’s something to learn here.
Time is the most valuable commodity we have. Yet it is so, so limited — especially at this point in the school year. But I wonder, can we spare a bit of time? Time for our Williams, for those who need more than we might be giving right now.
I see this play out in my kids’ early childhood school building on the regular. I am always amazed and heartened by how much the teachers and staff love their students. They show it in the way they act, but also in the way they give their time. They get to the kids’ level, they listen, they are not rushed.
Evan’s Young Fives teacher corrects with kindness and lingers for a minute longer than needed to make sure the kiddos know she cares. She plays chase at recess and goes the extra mile for each and every kid. Our 3-year-old’s teacher doesn’t hesitate to play a puzzle with him when I’m running late, and she takes the time to finish it while I sit there swooning over her love for him and her job.
If we looked deep inside, I think we’d find that all of us — ourselves and our students — have a little or a lot of William in us. We are all a paradox of some sort and crave more time with someone we love or care about.
No doubt, the job of a teacher is intense. Yet amazingly, we all have the capacity — even if it’s only for a minute — to give more time to someone who needs us.
I hope we can all finish this school year with heart, for the good of our work, but mostly for all of the Williams out there.