Making time has been a recurring theme throughout my tenure at EPS. Unlike finding time or hunting for uninterrupted time, making time is a bit different. Finding time involves scheduling tasks or projects without interference, while hunting for uninterrupted time is about sticking to that schedule. Making time, however, often throws the whole process off. But this isn’t always a bad thing.
I make time every day in various ways, typically for last-minute requests. A YouTube video needs to be published, a document needs to be uploaded, or a calendar entry needs to be altered. These requests are usually not intentionally last-minute, but sometimes a ball is dropped. During these times, it’s even more important to respond quickly. Why? Because the requester already feels bad enough. Why layer it on? However, making time for last-minute requests isn’t my focus here. Instead, I want to emphasize making time for conversation.
Conversation is crucial in any community. It’s how we know what others are doing, how they are feeling, what their struggles are, and even what they are doing this weekend. I know which of my coworkers has a kid playing soccer or enjoys similar music. I know who is a football, baseball, or basketball fan. These conversations help build a sense of community.
What does any of this have to do with my role at EPS? Technically, nothing. My role is to keep the network up, classrooms functioning, the website live, clocks on, phones working, servers running, and so on. My role supports the community in every way, but it doesn’t require knowing more than a colleague’s name, position, and office space.
The reason I know a lot about our community members is because I want to know. I want to know who has a garden and what they are growing. I want to know about your kid’s team. I want to know your favorite team so I can tell you how the Suns, Cardinals, Padres, Sounders, and Manchester United are better. I want to know how many kids you have because, while we all joke about me having five kids, those who have kids know I’ve been there, I can relate, and I have advice.
I want to be part of this community because it is a good community. To achieve this, conversation is key, but even more important is making time for it. I will always make time to chat about your PDP, your newborn, your struggling football team, or whatever else might connect us. Community is important to me, and that makes you important to me as well.