The Sine Qua What???
April 22, 2024
Regular readers of this blog know that we got a dog. Not a puppy, but a dog. About six months ago.
He’s 10 years old and has lots of old habits. And as I wrote in January (blog post HERE), an old dog CAN learn new tricks, and he’s doing great.
However, while some of those habits are appreciated (outside trained! Oh yeah…), others, well, are not so appreciated (barking, choosing when to obey commands, etc).
In some ways, he’s like a dog who was rescued. He has tendencies toward attachment disorder, has to be medicated (and is still jumpy), and is aggressive towards folks coming or going (and even family members when going).
So we paid a handsome fee to a local trainer to help him learn some commands and get over some of those tendencies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going anywhere, so the trainer kindly advised us to discontinue and refunded us most of that fee.
But all was not lost, of course–for surely a blog post could result, no?!
What Happened...
Jojo went to two training sessions. We dropped him off at around 9 am and picked him up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. During that time he had individual play time, lessons reinforced with special treats, and social activities with other dogs.
The trainer said that he was friendly enough with other dogs, loved to be held and petted, but just wouldn’t engage in the training. Even with his favorite treats in hand, he was disinterested. Even with her spending time holding him, he wouldn’t engage. Which, of course, as an educator, got me to thinking about connections to learning…
High School Latin Makes a Cameo
One of my favorite phrases that I learned (and still remember, amazingly enough!) back in high school Latin is “sine qua non.” I love this little phrase. It very literally means, “without which there is nothing.” And in education, there is one thing, above all else, that is sine qua non: Relationships. Without relationships, there is nothing.
And Jojo demonstrated this truth quite masterfully.
Despite the trainer being friendly, despite the trainer providing treats (that he LOVES at any other time!), and despite the trainer trying to establish a relationship through one-on-one time, there just was no relationship. And it wasn’t going to be established through a few interactions. Relationships are more than being friendly, providing treats, and spending one-on-one time just periodically.
So the trainer provided us with some resources and tools to continue the work at home.
Connections for Education
For most of our students, it doesn’t take a lot to create positive relationships. A few positive interactions, some “atta boys” or “atta girls” here and there, and a handful of one-on-ones will do it.
But then there are the Jojo’s of the world. Those who don’t respond quickly to friendliness, treats, or time. Relationships have been formed and broken too many times before, and certain relationships are strong while others require great care and tending.
And, of course, without that creation, caring and tending, there will be no learning.
Relationships: The sine qua non of learning.
Questions for Reflection
- Who are the kids and colleagues in your classroom or school that need more than most?
- In what ways do you go beyond friendliness, treats, and time to create and tend relationships with those students and colleagues?
- The trainer relied on outside partnerships (us, the owners) who DO have a relationship established. Who might be some of those outside partnerships you could access in furthering the needs of the harder-to-reach kids and colleagues of your world?
Rib Review
Despite the tons of travel in March (twelve schools in five states, plus being a featured presenter for a conference in another state), I didn’t have barbecue a single time. However, when I was in Charlotte I went with some incredible colleagues to a Brazilian steakhouse: Chima steakhouse. And there’s only one very simple word to describe it: Wow. I’ve been to other Brazilian steakhouses before, but this one took it to an entirely new level. All of the meats were incredible, though the lamb and filet mignon were my absolute favorite. And, oh yeah, there was a salad bar.
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