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Everything Is Awe-some: Showing Young Students the Power of Awe

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, January/February 2025 Issue

By Carol Gutierrez

A double rainbow, yes. The first time you see the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo’s David, sure. An astonishing goal in the game’s last 30 seconds, definitely. This is the stuff that leaves you awestruck. But a herniated disc? Sounds unlikely, but that’s what did it for me.

I was recovering from a spinal injury last summer when I read The Power of Awe by Jake Eagle and Michael Amster, and it changed my mindset. The book blends scientific and sensory, talking about ways we can bring more awe into our lives using what the authors call the “A.W.E. Method”:

  • A (Attention): Turn your undivided attention to things you appreciate, value, or find amazing
  • W (Wait): Slow down and pause
  • E (Exhale and Expand): Amplify the sensations you are experiencing

So, while I was resting at home during summer vacation, rather than relying on medication, I decided to use the lessons from The Power of Awe to help me reduce my pain. The book encouraged me to focus on all the awe I had before me: the view of the bay from my balcony, breakfast in bed, the movement of the leaves on the trees outside my window, visiting with family members, the extra time I had to read and learn.

The Hypothesis

The topic of awe itself couldn’t be more timely. After 35 years of teaching elementary school, I’ve never seen such an urgent need to address social-emotional issues in and out of the classroom as I do now, post-COVID. I began wondering whether the power of awe could help not just me, but my students as well.

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Carol Gutierrez is an elementary teacher in Hillsborough, CA, and a parent of three wonderful adults—Nik, Katie, and Joe—with her husband, Mike.

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Carol Gutierrez
Carol Gutierrez
Carol Gutierrez is an elementary teacher in Hillsborough, CA, and a parent of three wonderful adults—Nik, Katie, and Joe—with her husband, Mike.

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