One of the great things about having so many students is that it is impossible to hide from myself. Meaning, I have to confront what I'm teaching and passing along because I see it right back at me many times throughout the week, enough so to rule out chance or individual student differences to some degree. At the very least, I see the different shapes that my words and actions form on various terrains of young and older minds and the minds of parents. Over and over, I question that I am transmitting what I value and over and over I see reflected that I may not actually be living and sharing what that is.
But with so many students, there isn't a ton of time to deeply reflect, or reorganize, or arrange, and so reflection and growth seem to be happening on the fly as I have to reckon with the results. I wonder what I would have thought if I had known that any of my teachers was still learning how to teach, was wrestling with trying to understand how to handle any of the many challenges I know I threw at them. Without saying so, I beg the patience of my students and hold a deep gratitude for their trust. But since what I really want to teach is listening, and joy, and possibility, and love, and because there are so many ways to all these things, maybe it's time to be more vocal of both my humility and appreciation.
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