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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Kairos

Kairos is one of two Greek words for "time". The other word is Chronos. Chronos is what we traditionally think of as time, seconds, making minutes, making hours, days, etc. Chronos is the succession of moments, time clearly delineated and parseable. Kairos refers more to time that is un-defined, or undefinable, un-bounded. Kairos isn't about the changing of the seasons. In kairos, a moment can seem to last forever, and not all moments of kairos time are equal. Kairos is defined more by the quality of the experience contained within the time. For this reason, in the Christian era, Kairos came to be thought of as "God's time".

Kairos is also the title of a common high-school retreat for juniors/seniors. It's been around for nearly 50 years, and doesn't seem to be fading in popularity. I recently returned from directing my school's Kairos retreat for our senior class. Every Kairos retreat is unique, because of the combination of leaders and students, but this one was very special. Several of the leaders were alumni to whom I am very close, and several of the students on the retreat were students that I've chaperoned on school trips, where we've gotten to know each other outside of the classroom.

It occurred to me on this retreat that these opportunities for students to learn about themselves and their classmates, and for me as a teacher to relate to my students on a spiritual level outside of the classroom, outside the arena of academic material, is a really vital element of a healthy learning/school community. The connections and perspectives made and gained from this kind of experience are not replaceable, and give me great insight into my students as human beings, thus helping me be a better educator. Likewise, it helps them understand me better, helping them be better students. Because, as much educational research has shown, the quality of education correlates strongly to the quality of the interpersonal relationship between student and teacher.

Anyone out there have any thoughts about student/teacher relationships and/or school retreats? Feel free to share.

Have a happy Easter! Monday starts national poetry month, and I'll be sharing a favorite poem each day of the month to honor the creative wonders of poetry!

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