Reframing my windows
A fictional female character reframing a window… literally.
I was watching a young boy having a bit of a meltdown outdoors in a small town on a bright, sunny day. His arms and feet were flailing and his screams were painful to all who heard. His caregiver had a clenched, tension-filled expression and ran her hands through her hair. Nothing she tried worked to calm him down.
An older and clearly wiser woman stood next to us observing quietly. After a moment or two, she mused, “He must be going through a learning window.”
“A learning window? What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a Montessori approach. When a child becomes difficult, we recognise it as a learning opportunity that the child has to work through. When they come out the other side, they will be happy again.”
Okay. I might have just fictionalized this memory from many years ago but that was the gist of it. I loved this idea of learning windows which helps me reframe an upset child’s behavior.
It also helps me reframe my own periods of “bad patches.” I must be going through a learning window. Or so I tell myself.
A few years later, I began searching for “learning windows” to find out more about them.
That was a bad idea. I didn’t want to know about Microsoft and learning Windows.
I refined my search to “learning window” and “Montessori.” That was more fruitful.
Dr. Montessori believed there are three significant “sensitive periods” or learning windows for children aged 3 to 6 – those for order, movement and language.
Others point out such sensitive periods or windows are only effective if there are sufficient environmental stimuli for the child to interact with.
But I don’t want to discuss child development here. I want to look at what a learning window looks like for an adult. We certainly have sufficient environmental stimuli for us to interact with, don’t we?
That environmental stimuli is usually one that comes with provocation, like those found in the workplace identified by Heads Up Guys:
Low or inadequate salaries (or benefits)
Heavy workloads and long or inflexible hours
Unrealistic deadlines or pressure
Lack of control over tasks or job responsibilities
Conflicts with co-workers or bosses
Discrimination or harassment
Limited opportunities for career development or advancement
Fear of losing job
Lack of meaning of work performed
You get the idea.
But what better time to learn! Some would say.
Sounds like being thrown in the deep end in order to learn how to swim. Others would ponder.
In my perfect world, we would have this knowledge already in hand before we became provoked. That way, we can lean in and use what we have learned when we need it most.
Hmmm, that sounds like a solid lifeboat. Fueled with hope and optimism.
When I found myself with workplace provocateurs over ten years ago, I didn’t have the knowledge yet to manage that situation well. I let it get me down. I brought others down with me. I felt like I was sinking.
I will tell you more about that experience another time.
But it was precisely those environmental stimuli which pushed me to embark on an intentional journey to fortify my lifeboat. Every experience since then is like a learning window for me. It’s how I reframe my experiences.
I am pretty sure I’ll be reframing my windows for the rest of my life!
And that’s quite alright with me.
Image generated by Canva Magic Media on April 5, 2024
