When I was preparing for our recent parent book group centered on When You Wonder, You’re Learning, I rediscovered this passage:

”In 2018 a group of researchers studied the effects of greeting middle school students at the classroom door. This seemingly minor gesture yielded stunning benefits. Student

engagement increased by 20%, while disruptions decreased by nearly 10%. A

simple show of warmth effectively added an extra hour of learning to the school day.”

I have known for the many years I have been shaking hands with, or fistbumping, students at the front door of the schools I have headed has power behind it. Seeing it validated by research made me think of the possibilities these simple acts of human connection could have not just on our children but on our society.

Before I moved to Bethesda, I lived in a small community for 30 years. Greeting or starting a conversation with many of the people you come across in a day is just what you do.  On the Maine island that I often write about and that I go to each summer, while traveling anywhere on the island, drivers always wave to oncoming cars. I know I always try to say something to, and make eye contact with, the people I encounter in my apartment building’s elevator.

So I wonder if our country’s ever more impersonal way of life could become more satisfying and our differences could yield to points of empathy, if we took the time to greet others we don’t know. I’m not suggesting we become creeps or annoying about it. But what if, when we discern that a transitory connection could make the time more pleasant, we offer words that are the equivalent of a verbal handshake or wave? This nuanced corollary to “Don’t talk to strangers” might lead toward greater comity and connection in a divisive and hurried world.