A student came in to see if he was still welcome to the school. Immediately I switch into skeptic mode. A small voice reminds me to be open and keep a sense of hope. I try to balance the two emotions and invite him into an office.
When I go into a counseling session I have been proud of my growing awareness. I no longer just listen to what is said but I note body language. I look for minute clues such as twitches, eye movements, even skin tone changes. With this young man I picked up a lot of anxiety, especially when I challenged him on his commitment and tested any inconsistencies in his statements. He wasn’t serious. He wanted something else than school. While he said he would follow up with me and I didn’t expect to see him again.
When I come out of a meeting the first question the rest of the staff wants to know is how things went. They were very eager to hear how things went with this student who had been in and out of the system over the years, been successful, and burned several bridges. I gave them a brief summary of his intentions to meet with me in two weeks. Then the question came, “How did he react when you mentioned the marijuana smell?” I looked blankly back at my colleagues. “How could you miss it? We could smell it throughout the school!”
And I thought I was being so aware, that I had grown so much in my skills, I completely ignored such a primary sense. I’ve never had the best sniffer. Perhaps my nose is just fine and I’ve just never paid any attention to what it was telling me. I’ve been trying to do a better job lately. But this story is going to be a good one for my staff to share and keep me on my toes with. Another lesson I’m learning this year is that whenever I feel like I know what I’m doing I realize I know absolutely nothing at all.
