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Paperweights

It probably won’t surprise people to know this has been a busy time of year in the Head of School office. Clearly now is the time when we have the epic convergence of both admissions and hiring activity. There have been recent days where I have had so many meetings that I can easily forget I am at a school with children. That said, we have absolutely started to see some of these amazing spring like days start to explode with the glory of what lies ahead. Just a few days ago, I decided I had better get out of my office and take a walk outside to do a bit of centering.

As I was walking down the back stairs of BD, I was poring through my calendar for the day. I wondered how I would get to every meeting and every interview on time. I was weighing the relative strengths of a few candidates I had seen recently. I pushed open the back door of BD and noticed some of our Lower School students scrambling around the mini-turf blasting the soccer ball. But I didn’t have time for that. I was headed to the Middle School to check in on the students before they headed out for Gunstock. Heading down the paved path, looking at my trudging shoes, I started recalling the trustee committee meetings I needed to prepare for and a speech I had not started yet. It was just at that moment when I felt a tug at my sleeve.

“Mr. Schneider?” I looked down to see one of our amazing Lower School girls: bright blond hair and all smiles. “I made this for you.” She handed me a rock covered in green chalk. “I painted the top green.”

Suddenly two more girls were upon me with their creations. “These are for you,” the first girl said. “They’re paperweights,” the second one said.

With that, all three girls smiled and sprinted back to their tables and their projects, leaving me finally fixed in the present moment and not running through the rolodex of things to do in my head. I was disarmed yet filled with power; the endorphins surged as I could not hold back my smile.

Schools really are remarkable places. They are remarkable because children are remarkable. I don’t believe these moments just happen by accident. I believe children to be intuitive, empathetic, and kind at the root of their soul. My three paperweights, chalky and aligned on the mantle in my office, now remind me of this fact as February draws to a close. Let’s make sure that we all remain open to the power of the present moment. Hint: being around children really helps.


   

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