I groggily shuffled into the Amtrak station at about 5:00 this morning, only one cup into my day (I’m a three cup kind-of girl). I overheard an elderly man in front of me, who seemed to be confused.
He had bought his train ticket and was saying over and over again: “Where do I sit while I wait? Where do I sit?”
Thinking that I understood the problem and was being helpful, I hopped in with a solution. “Over there by the window. There is a whole row of seats just waiting for you!”
The disheveled man then replied: “I know there are plenty of seats. I just don’t know where. I can’t see them—I’m almost blind.”
As I stood there dead in my tracks, another person swooped in, showing the man to an empty seat (I wish I had moved quicker).
I reflected on how I assumed I knew what the problem was, but I didn’t. I didn’t fully understand. I didn’t have all the information.
Reminds me of public education.
#Edugeek lesson learned.
Thanks to Meg Wills and Creative Commons for use of the image.
