I am a Teacher

I wrote this on Feb 11 while my students were testing... it works. :)

I am in a land of learning and adventure. A place where children come to feel safe from any harm and to learn about the world that they live in. They are protected and yet not isolated. The outside world enters in so that we can examine and discuss it. This outside world comes in through books, lessons, experiences, stories, but mostly through these little people. These small, beautiful, bright people are the world that we live in. They reflect the world now and show us a glimpse as to how the world may end up being in the future. I stop and find myself surrounded by their beautiful faces: their round, warm faces with eyes set like the dark sky sparkling away. Cascades of long, straight, shiny hair brush past my girls' shoulders, sometimes reaching their waists. And my boys, my little men, are unlike any other. They have smiles that show their mischief and their inner workings. They are living in a world where they are gradually developing their little machismos. I would love to be able to instill in them a desire to be little gentlemen, where their charisma and personality may shine as brightly as possible.

My students have ambition, they have spunk, they are alive and bursting with potential. Most of them have already begun to succeed, but the ones falling behind worry me. There seems to be no way to scoop them up and put them ahead of where they should be... if only we could figure out a way to jump their hurdles! They are becoming more sure of themselves, but it is not always easy for them. That is one beautiful thing to see. So often when they are figuring out something new, how it works, and the potential solution to a problem, they are so precise and careful with each action. We must encourage more of this: methodical thinking and problem solving. They should not be afraid to tackle a big task, but learn how to break it into smaller, more manageable ones. When there is so much unknown information that they are faced up against, it must be hard to be confident and keep pushing onward. But we must; they must. That is what this is all about, this teaching.

Teaching is a way in which we are able to propel the minds and leaders of the future forward. Without trying to be overly idealistic, this is just true. They learn how to look at the world, and begin to see the possible role that they can play in this grand scheme. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get them to do this! I am a teacher, and my world is my classroom.