“Why do we always have to keep our eyes on the speaker?” A second grade student asked me today. I had a snippy “Because it’s respectful” response all cued up, eye on my watch, counting down the minutes I had left to finish my lesson… but then I stopped. I sat. I said, “That’s a great question. What do you think? How does it make you feel when someone looks at your eyes while you are talking to them?” “Happy,” one student ventured. “Important,” piped up another. “Safe,” said a third. I had just, an hour earlier, spoken with a coworker about eye contact as a sign of respect and love, and how she wishes she saw it more from the adults in her life. Happy. Important. Safe. These moments of connection are so meaningful. The truth is, we never stop needing these lessons.