TL;DR:

• So many people perform their job like an artist. Their skill is unreal.
• Notice the beauty around you. Notice people performing their jobs like they have mastered an art form.
• Stand back in awe at the talent you are surrounded with.

Have you ever seen someone so good at their job that you just stand in awe?

We often only give credit to artists for making art.  

Painters, sculptors, musicians, actors, dancers, and other performing artists are deserving of the credit. We pay to see them perform or pay for the art they create. 

We also see it in street performers, graffiti artists, and even the local garage band.  They are all artists.  

However, if you stop and notice you can see it everywhere.  

The chef.  

The waitress.  

The bartender. 

The barista.  

They all can create or do things at such a high level, it is like watching an artist.  

I recently got to observe one of my best teachers...You could see and literally feel the rhythm of the class. You could see the students learn with each word. Not a second was wasted. Click To Tweet

Artists at Work

I’m currently out of town.  The hotel I am in has an atrium area with a glass elevator tower.  There is a gentleman using what I would best describe as mountain climbing equipment to scale down and clean the windows on this 12-story glass tower.  He moves quickly and with a motion that mimics a conductor leading an orchestra as he goes.  There is a rhythmic pattern to his movements.  It’s all in sync and he doesn’t miss a spot on the windows as he flows from top to bottom.  I sat there holding my luggage and backpack for a few minutes in awe.  Yes, he was simply cleaning the windows but he was doing so at the highest level of performance that you possibly could.  It was talent.  It was a skill.  It was years of know-how and practice.  It was art. 

You may say I’m going overboard about a window washer but it is true of all things. 

Over time, people become so good at what they do, they become the Michelangelo of their positions.  

We could say the same about MLK, Mandela, Jordan, Brady, Curry, Kennedy, Obama, Led Zeppelin, or Adele.  

They are performers at the highest level of their occupation. They are artists.  

We have artists in our schools too.  

I have some teachers that I have no right to evaluate.  Simply because I never reached their level of teaching.  They’ve reached perfection.  The way they can orchestrate a class with ease.  When you watch teachers at that level it is like listening to Hendrix on the guitar, Aretha on the microphone, or Curry shooting the ball.  Perfection.  

I recently got to observe one of my best teachers.  I was simply in awe.  I’ve never seen a teacher teach the way she does.  The command of the classroom.  The precision of her words.  The placing of her questions.  The engagement.  You could see and literally feel the rhythm of the class.  You could see the students learn with each word.  Not a second was wasted.  The systems of the classroom were set up for all students to be successful.  

Have you ever seen a teacher manage a student by tapping their leg with their finger?  It was an unspoken cue to that one student.  The way Hendrix would make eye contact with his drummer on a solo to say I’m coming back into the song.  How Curry would make eye contact with a teammate to tell them to cut backdoor for a lob pass.  This teacher had reached a state of perfection.  

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It’s beautiful.  

In 1996, my brother got us seats to a Bulls game.  We were just a few rows away from Michael Jordan.  

I’ve never stood in awe of someone the way I did Jordan.  He was perfection, wearing basketball shoes, and I remember thinking I would never see anyone perform at that high of a level again. 

Then I saw Prince play guitar in person.  

Then I heard Chris Cornell sing. 

Then I saw Misty Copeland perform.  

The reality is, perfect is real and perfection is all around us and it is in our classrooms. 

When you see it, enjoy it.  

Don’t intervene.  

Appreciate the beauty in the artist and the art they’ve made.  

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About Aaron Else

Aaron Else is an enthusiastic optimist entering his 22nd year in education. During his time in education, he has taught 1st, 2nd, and 5th grades. He has worked in administration for the past 14 years with the last 8 as principal at Hosp Elementary in Frisco ISD.

Aaron is married to Heather, and they have five kids combined and two dogs. He loves to read, work out, and watch sports.