The right kind of connected

Yesterday I received the wake up call that I should have gotten a long time ago.  A staff member reminded me of the importance of the right kind of connected.  You see, some would say that I'm a connected educator.  My Twitter account (@posickj) would be an indicator but, thanks to the staff member, I realized that yesterday I was not the right kind of connected.  The staff member came in to meet with me and the meeting did not go at all the way that it should have gone.  My phone was out and my attention and connection was not on the staff member.  Not long afterwards, I received a Voxer message from the staff member.  It was polite and pointed at the same time.  The staff member let me know that I appeared disconnected and more worried about my phone than I was about our conversation.  I sent the staff member a return Voxer message and made some lame excuse about being in the middle of a conversation on Twitter.  Twitter can wait.  The staff member shouldn't have to wait or feel like I'm not connected to our conversation.  I let the staff member know that if this ever happens again, I need to be told to put my phone away.  I know that she will hold me accountable, and I hope that all staff members, and my family and friends, who read this blog will hold me accountable, too.

(I'm sure this is how the staff member felt, and I know that my wife, on more than one occasion has felt this way, too.  It's not meant to be funny.  It's meant to be a reminder for me to put my phone away and connect with those I am with face to face.)

As my day continued, I went to see the movie "Yesterday" with my wife, my daughter, and my mom and dad.  It was a great movie, and I won't give any spoilers.  The premise of the story for me was that you should provide a greater focus on those around you that really know you and what they think of you than having a focus on those who kind of know you and what they think of you.  I'm not sure if that sentence makes sense, but to make a long sentence shorter, focus on those you are with in person instead of those who are on your social media accounts or are trying to make money off of you.  The main character in "Yesterday", Jack, finds this out almost too late.  Because of my conversation with my staff member, I kept my phone on silent and in my pocket during the entire movie.  I sat next to my wife and shared her Butterfinger bites.  To be honest, I think I ate all of them.  My wife knows that I like Butterfingers so I'm quite confident that is why she bought them.  I spent time with my mom and dad talking about my upcoming trip and saw the excitement and pride in their eyes as they listened to me talk about my trip.  And when I prepared for Summer School this morning, I did what I always do- I kissed my 19 year old daughter on her forehead before I left.

After that Voxer message from my staff member, my focus changed to the right kind of connected.  When we meet in person, if my phone is out, tell me to put it away.  After we've had a chat, I'll be happy to take out my phone for a selfie.  Connecting in person is the right kind of connected.