Seeing a student....

Seeing a student can be a practice in seeing oneself, or seeing any other person for that matter.  To see a student is to see possibility, to see what is there beyond the present.  We don't often look at ourselves or the people around us in this regard.  We are framed, built on identities which we hold dear to ourselves, or laugh about, or try to hide.  We see others as framed entities, easy to put into boxes as being one way or another.  But to see a student and to be sincerely interested in the learning of that student, is to see something that isn't there, and to have trust that it can be there.  The trust part is just as invaluable as the vision.  I don't think they can be separated.  To believe that something is possible requires imagination and faith, and a plan to put them together.

To see another person in this way is as close as I can imagine to what love might be.  Yes, we can love one another for what we understand, for seeing something in another person that we value, something which is compatible, which makes sense to us.  But on another level, beyond the characteristics of personality and ability, attributes like beauty and intelligence, we can become open to any person, to see their humanity and greet them with acceptance, or at the very least, open interest.  Perhaps we can learn from them, or they will want to learn from us.  Or perhaps there is no desire for exchange and it cannot be forced and learning and loving can happen elsewhere.  But we can still be open to the possibility that such a relationship can develop.  I think this in itself–the ability to be open to this relationship–can be learned, perhaps can be taught.

To teach formally is a practice in seeing oneself and the people in one's life as changeable, flawed, growing, learning individuals.  From the inside, being with oneself minute to minute, it can be hard to see growth as we take steps back and try to push ourselves forward.  But from the outside, something slightly more punctuated, we can see the progress of student, checking in with them on a regular basis, seeing them change over the years with guidance.  We can celebrate their victories as our own, not only for the content of what we have taught, but for the ability of people to grow and learn.  It is a gift to be able to have such a relationship with other people, a guide for oneself of what can be possible elsewhere in life.