I’m hoping that there are other people reading this whose minds work like mine.  I’ve done this just about every day for years since moving into my apartment building.  I walk down the hall to the elevator, take it down the four floors to the garage and get in my car.  It wasn’t until this morning, standing all alone in the elevator, as I often do, that I began to question where I should stand.  I pushed the button on the left side, backed up a bit and stood there.  Then I started to think, if someone got on on another floor and I wasn’t standing in the doorway of the elevator, would I startle them?  Would it startle them more if I was in the doorway?  I was relieved when the elevator went straight to the garage so I didn’t have to continue to overthink it.

Seriously though, just think about it.  How many times during the day do you have to contemplate where you’re going to stand?  We stand in line at the DMV, the grocery store and the airport.  We sometimes have to decide which line to get in for a sporting or concert event and if you’re like my husband, you analyze which line is going faster before you get in line.  Going to a football game, I stand in line to get in the correct gate, to get to my seat, get my concessions and to get back out again.  How many hours do we spend standing in line for things?

Think about how we use the word “stand” on a daily basis.  Expressions like stand tall, I can’t stand them, stand on your own two feet, stand down, take a stand, and stand by your word  all represent strong emotional expressions or directions.  The word “stand” is powerful, whether it is literal or not.  I suppose that makes it worthy of thought and maybe not as crazy as it sounded in the first part of my blog.

Standing can be a sign of respect or show the importance of an event or occasion.  We stand when a judge enters a courtroom.  We stand in front of God and witnesses to get married and we stand as the bride walks by.  We stand for our National Anthem.  We stand to give outstanding speakers and performers ovations.  Standing in unity can be a powerful thing especially during a peaceful protest.  Have you ever just thought about when and why we stand?  Does it have meaning or is it just something we do because everyone does it?

As a teacher I stand all day, but it’s more a matter of proximity than straight lines.  Except for the students, of course, who struggle with maneuvering into lines throughout the day.  There really has to be some thought put into where you stand during the school day.  During my classes, I’m constantly observing my students to see who is struggling with behavior or might need some help, so I move around a lot.  One of the problems with new teachers is that they’ve just come from college classes where the traditional professor stands at the front of the room and lectures.  Standing at the front of the room all of the time, especially for little people is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, especially when making music.  We tend to refer to that person as thinking of themselves as “the sage on the stage”.  It’s not about the kids, it’s about them.  However, when you walk around the room and stand beside a kid who is struggling and put a kind hand on their shoulder, where you stand has more meaning and is thinking of the student first.

Where I stand outside during recess or inside for duty depends on what my students need as well.  Standing in an area where I can scan a large group of kids instead of congregating with my fellow educators can help alleviate any possible safety issues.  Standing in the right place inside while kids are trying to find their new classes can help alleviate any fear they might have.  Again, it’s more about the kids than it is me.  I wonder if the kids recognize this trait in their teachers?

So going back to the elevator.  Maybe not such a bizarre thing to contemplate after all because where we stand and what we stand for are so important. So where do you stand?  Maybe a better question might be, where should you stand?