Are you still in school?

An innocent question this morning via Twitter flitted between two folks I follow:

That is quite the question isn’t it?

My son might ask his cousin living up north that question. Instead of teasingly laced with sarcasm, it is a different question when I ask another educator. If someone asked you if you were still in school you instantly know which meaning they are using. Because there is the exhausting, desperate act of trying to press through the full academic year despite the improving weather, despite the frequency of sporting events increasing, despite the fact that no one (not even you) seems to observe bed times any more. And then there is that other meaning.

The other meaning

Are you still learning? Are you modeling the behavior students of all ages, all situations, all dispositions should display? Are you joyfully setting aside the seasonal distractions and remaining open to learning all around you? Wow. That’s a tough on this time of year. However, we can do it if we intentionally focus on the question of if we are still in school.