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Quiet

By Colin Davitt

 


Years ago I was backpacking deep in a national park. We were so far from everything I am not sure anyone would have ever found us if we got lost. What I started to notice after a few days was how quiet everything was. It really took that long, it really took over 72 hours for my head to start to quiet down. This was years before cell phones were everywhere.

Once I was able to hit the quiet, new ideas started to flow. I felt calming, a sense of relaxation was unmistakable.

This article reminded me of how vital a little quiet time is. While some of what this article suggests isn't possible in the classroom, creating tiny slices of quiet is.

What if you tried 2 minutes of silence before class started? Maybe repeating that at the end, what might happen?

Possible Next Steps

  • Experiment with 2 minutes of silence maybe at the beginning of class, during or the end. Research has proven this is beneficial so what is the best that can happen if your try it over a series of days?
  • While we might not be able to take an afternoon in the woods, what might be a way to do this with your kids? I think the biophilic design has a few good ideas to try.
  • One personal way I gained some quiet is turning off notifications on my watch, that simple act was freeing.

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