Blurring
Wisdom from the Field #6
In The Order of Time, physicist Carlo Rovelli introduces a concept that describes our perception of how time passes: blurring.
Also known as “coarse graining”, blurring means that we do not see an event or an object as it is. Instead we make generalizations. The smaller details are unnoticed.
For example, when you see or visualize an image of the Earth from space, “calm” or “beautiful” may come up.
But as you get closer to Earth, this perception changes. Maybe you observe a volcano erupting, or a dangerous thunderstorm. Calm is not how we might describe the Earth now, from a closer look. Time slows down as we observe these unique events, and our understanding of our planet becomes more complex.
A Richer Picture
Educational leaders will sometimes adopt a “blurred” perspective about their respective schools. Test scores are posted, a school report card is published, and then rough generalizations are made about the quality of education kids received.
Yet if you were to go into specific classrooms and hang around for a while, what would you see? In my experience, we get a richer picture of the school experience. For example, we see
the teacher spending an extra minute to help a student transition back to classroom from recess,
a student taking the initiative to help a peer find a series they might really enjoy reading1, and
a group of kids sorting through the I Survive series after listening to the author, Lauren Tarshis, share her research process for a virtual author talk.
I observed all of these positive experiences the past couple of weeks. They don’t show up on a test score or a school report card, but together all of our actions make an impact on the outcomes.
Reflective Questions
Do your current test scores and/or state reports accurately reflect the status of your school?
If not, what piece of the picture is missing?
How could you go about noticing and naming the smaller yet important details of how your school operates?
What might you do tomorrow to paint a richer picture of your school, for yourself and for others?
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I described this experience more fully in this post, which is also a preview of my upcoming book for Corwin.
