Decades ago, I volunteered to substitute in a preschool Sunday School class in our new town. Not only were my three boys preschoolers, but I also had taught the three-year-old class at our former church. I chafed while the lead teacher showed me the lesson and spoke as if I were ignorant about both teaching and preschoolers. I admit my attitude towards her became poor.
Five years later, my sister-in-law prefaced a conversation with “I know you already know this.” The strong statements that followed were not perceived as a lecture but as Sherry’s desire to discuss information about which I was knowledgeable.
I don’t remember whether I knew the facts and opinions Sherry stated, but I know I did think what a respectful, disarming way to start specific conversations. I immediately recollected the Sunday School lecture about teaching preschoolers and how different it might have been if the information had been prefaced with “I know you already know this, but…”
We do need refreshers and reminders and exhortations about what we already know. “I know you already know this” can be a respectful opening.
Thank you for being a reader of this blog about things “you already know.”
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