I went into teaching so that I could help students develop the insight, communication skills, and patterns of learning to become fully expressive of who they are. To that end, I intended for my classroom and courses to become vibrant communities of courage, creativity, and collaboration. Together with my students and colleagues, I worked to transform the demons of fear and self-limitation into a thrill for learning and growth.
Over my last few years in the classroom, however, I became increasingly dissatisfied with the implications of grading, judgment, and the holy grail of college acceptance. Whether in the larger academic system or in myself or other teachers, such mindsets so often poison true creativity and real learning. I also became frustrated by the lack of motivation and increased restlessness I sensed in students. In order to pull kids away from electronics and other distractions, I more often than I would have liked had to rely on systemic or emotional authority: grades, absence points, the threat of discipline, or even simple disapproval. I don’t think a casual observer would have described my teaching as domineering in any way, yet I could sense my subtle reliance on such techniques. Those methods got in the way of—and in many ways actually seem antithetical to—the work I really wanted to be doing.
I also experienced a tension between my role as mentor—“I will hold you to high standards; give you honest, direct feedback; and challenge you to be your best.”—and as minister—“I will care for you unconditionally and trust that your soul knows more about your pace and purpose than I ever can.” I know that both elements are crucial to excellent teaching but I didn’t quite know what the right balance is.
Through this blog, I intended to–and still intend to–explore and refine both method and content that blends those two teacher roles, asking for the best and welcoming the soul to engage students’ natural excitement for learning. By that, I mean the kind of learning that becomes a joy in itself, one that leaves them thirsty and eager for more. In this case, my role as educator no longer focuses on doling out approval or advice but on drawing out the wisdom and excellence they already have within. This style points to the Latin educare, to call forth or lead out, education from its deepest roots.
Through my current, work, I now continue developing a pedagogy that activates true purpose, resilient creativity, and a self-perpetuating love for learning. I continue my excitement for the intellectual work of bringing together insights from such different yet intertwining fields. I hope that my findings will prove intriguing for others as well.