Bird Droppings October 22, 2026
The Deer Don’t Wear Watches
Every morning I can get out, I try to catch the sunrise. I drive around looking for photographs, often following the same route day after day. My grandchildren and I call one particular spot “the deer pasture.” And true to its name, we’ve seen deer there almost every day. Sometimes, as many as twenty-one at once. Generally, around sunrise, four or five deer will be grazing near the bottom of the pasture. The other morning, I looked at my watch. It was 7:42, and there were deer grazing in the pasture. So this morning, at 7:42, I looked across that same pasture, expecting to see them. Nothing. Where were the deer? Then something occurred to me.
The deer hadn’t missed their appointment. I had invented the appointment. The deer weren’t watching a clock. They were responding to the sunrise, the changing light, and the natural rhythms of their environment. Today, it wasn’t until about 7:51 that the I deer appeared.
Nine minutes later by my watch. Right on time by theirs. And as I sat there watching them, I began thinking about children.
“In the process of ongoing education of teachers, the essential moment is that critical reflection on one’s practice. Thinking critically about practice, of today, or yesterday, makes possible the improvement of tomorrow’s practice.” Paulo Freire
How often do we establish schedules, expectations, and standards before we ever meet the children who are expected to follow them? We decide when they should read, when they should write, when they should understand a mathematical concept, and sometimes even how quickly they should demonstrate what they’ve learned. When they don’t follow our timetable, we start looking for what’s wrong. But perhaps the problem isn’t always the child. Perhaps sometimes it’s the timetable.
“A primary responsibility of educators is that they not only be aware of the general principle of the shaping of the actual experience by surrounding conditions, but that they recognize in the concrete what surroundings are conducive to experiences that lead to growth.” John Dewey, Experience and Education
I’ve spent more than fifty years working with children, many with emotional, behavioral, and learning differences. I’ve learned that children don’t develop, respond, communicate, or learn on the same schedule. Some need more time. Some need different experiences. Some need a different approach. And some simply need someone willing to watch and listen long enough to understand how they learn. That doesn’t mean children don’t need structure. They do. But structure should help children learn, not become the measure by which we decide whether they can learn. This morning, I could have driven away at 7:42 and concluded there were no deer in the pasture. Instead, I stayed a little longer. And there they were. How often do we mistake a child’s inability to follow our schedule for an inability to learn? Maybe sometimes we need to put away our watches and spend a little more time watching the children.
For all my former students and teacher friends, may peace be with you and yours, and may we, as a nation, find a point of reference to draw us together. For twenty-plus years now, I have ended my morning sojourns with this line: Please keep all in harm’s way on your minds and in your hearts. Namaste
My family and friends, I do not say this lightly,
Mitakuye Oyasin
(We are all related)
docbird
Leave a Reply