How do we make space to truly listen to others?
This video features Saumi Bonds, a Kindergarten Teacher in Beaverton School District and the Sparkles and Stars, the name her students gave themselves. In 2024 Saumi’s classroom had 26 students, who spoke 10 different languages. Many of the students are bilingual and some trilingual. The intention for this video was to take a deep dive into Saumi’s teaching moves that lead year after year to a strong Kindergarten community in which the children learn not only to listen to the teacher and one another, but also the values of deep listening. A listening that generates empathy, agency and collaboration. Saumi’s willingness to step back, slow down and listen to the children and their ideas builds a shared identity where the children feel and demonstrate a sense of belonging to one another, where they “… feel comfort and feel like people like us.”
Saumi, her students and their families are graciously and humbly giving us a window into their classroom. Saumi is bravely stepping into the discomfort of being vulnerable in hopes that through sharing her attempts and reflections that some of you might find resonance with her experience. Watch and wonder what does deep listening mean to you? When is a time you’ve felt deeply listened to? What changes might you make in your community to allow the space to practice deep listening?
“I have learned to step back because there is always a reason for what they do and, they always teach me.”
-Saumi Bonds
