“Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” – Francis Bacon
Most people think that teachers only want silence with their classes when they are taking a test. I do prefer my 5th graders to be silent during assessments; there are other times I need my student’s silence. Sometimes it’s for safety reasons, and other times because we are passing by other classrooms that are giving instruction. There is one time that requires my students to be silent, which they find hard to embrace. It is silent reflection. Typically, when students are asked a question, a response is expected quickly. Sometimes I find that they need to think silently first before sharing. I have moments in my classroom for silent reflection during lessons. This gives them an opportunity to collect their thoughts for their answers. This way I can get more than one-word responses. As adults, we have to embrace silence as well. Too often, we surround ourselves with noise and avoid silence. Silence can be painful if we are not used to it. If we take time away from the noise, it can help us put our thoughts together.
Whenever we travel on a cruise, it can be hard to find moments of silence. A cruise ship can be a noisy place. Sometimes the places of silence are in your room. However, who wants to stay in their room when out in paradise? One of my favorite ways to find peace is either at sunrise or sunset as different places on the ship. I took these photos on one of the lower decks. Most of the action happens on the upper decks. I could only hear the sound of wind. Waves crashed as the ship traveled to its next stop. I try to find moments like this on vacation and during the day. It might during a midday walk or sitting in the backyard in the evening.
Check out this video of another sunset I captured.
Through Griffin's Lens 