“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness” - Viktor Frankl
I was on my way to work the other morning, late as usual, and there was a stop up ahead. A school bus stopping traffic going in the opposite direction. I was only about two cars behind the first car stopped. As the bus pulled away and my line of traffic moved forward, I passed by at least 20 cars behind the bus. Some people with slightly impatient faces and others smiling as the sun warmed their faces. The bus carrying kids on their way to school, parents seeing their kids onto the bus, the bus driver, cars on the road and the school the bus will arrive at with all the people and kids in the building. We are all connected and impact each other whether we want to or not.
The impact of the bus delaying my arrival at work could cause impatience and anxiety, but I chose to enjoy conversation with my brother, the sunshine, and the trees. Little micro decisions like this happen constantly throughout our day, and the choice of how we respond to these moments can impact our day, which then impacts all of those we come in contact with.
Since working at a district level, this image or theme of interconnectedness has grown even larger for me. We are all impacting each other all the time. When students move from school to school, the need for an aligned curriculum becomes clear, so books aren’t reread or lessons repeated. I did a sub training at the beginning of the school year that reminded me how teachers rely on subs, and subs rely on teachers. What we do impacts each other, and it can be in a positive or a negative way.
When I think about the school bus, the cars waiting, the teachers preparing, and the students walking through the doors, it reminds me that none of us are moving through life alone. Every action, every choice, ripples outward. As educators, parents, and community members, we hold a piece of one another’s experience.
The action is simple but powerful: notice the ways we are connected throughout the day as you first enter the office or classroom, check out in a store, or make your commute. Pause before reacting, extend patience, share kindness, and remember that the way we show up in small moments has the power to shift the whole.
We are all threads in the same fabric. The stronger and more intentional our connections, the stronger the community we weave together.
To help understand this topic in a fun way, here is a three minute video on the topic of interconnectedness and common humanity!