Building Relationships, It's About Time, Sharing Time…

Building Relationships, It's About Time. Sharing Time…

What does it take to build a positive relationship? From my point of view, it’s about time, sharing time....

There is no substitute for how sharing time with others builds relationships. Sharing time, is the cornerstone of any positive relationship. Once established, there are few limits to what positive relationships can accomplish, personally and professionally. Even when we may not agree, if positive relationships have been established, we can work together for the benefit of all. Sharing of time

however is not be confused with the act of merely spending time with others. By definition these two approaches mean very different things. In my observation, sharing time is more... As the definition of sharing [time] (verb) states, sharing is: to divide, apportion, or receive equally, whereas spending [time] (verb) is: to pay out, disburse, or expend; dispose of. Apply this to the act of sharing time while building relationships, and it is no wonder how when we share time with others, the relationships we establish can improve us all, and lead to the accomplishment of many things. In comparison to this, the act of spending time, with someone could be viewed as an act that comes at the expense of something else, rather than an investment in each other.

In education today, much of our focus is on outcome, and it should be. This is however not to say we should only be focusing on one outcome at a time. We should, and need to be focusing on multiple outcomes, and at times, changing outcomes, and ones that pose major challenges to accomplish. Be it academic, social emotional needs, equity, mental health, overall wellness, sustainability of efforts, programmatic improvements, pedagogical best practices, innovation, and funding stability. There truly are no shortages when it comes to outcomes that need our attention. With so many areas of need to be focused upon, it is easy to become overwhelmed by it all. This is why positive relationships are so important.  Once established, our positive relationships, built on shared time, allow for the accomplishment of amazing things! Ask any teacher, or as an educator, ask yourself: “Is it easier to accomplish the instructional goals and objectives that are facing us at the start of the year, or is it more “manageable” once strong relationships have been built? Now reflect on the positive relationships we have, not just the ones with students, but the ones with parents, with colleagues, with educational leaders, with our communities. How did we establish them? Did we establish them by chance, by simply spending time with someone, or did we build them by sharing time with these individuals?

Positive relationships, when shared with others, allows us accomplish many things… Amazing things… Are we choosing to spend time with people, or are we taking the intentional steps to share our time with others? To build these powerful relationships with others, relationships that will lead to the change, to the growth, to the outcomes, and the overall success we are seeking for our students, ourselves, our schools, our community, and our world, takes time, shared time...