Teaching and Learning II

Out of the mouths of infants and children . . . 

 - From Psalm 8

As a teacher, I learn more than I teach. This daily exposure to young people, this consistent standard of behavior where everyone in the community is expected to refrain from inappropriate words and deeds, where the rule is that everybody gets treated with kindness, this access to a Principal's Office where all sides are heard and an attempt is made at correct and effective problem-solving; this One Place in society where there is a standard of perfection (100%) and a person may make progress towards it (and is expected to). ...  

This makes a person sharp. School is the one place where right behavior is the rule. You can't swear there (if it's wrong to swear, why do so many adults continue to do it?); you can't be a bully (without consequences), and it's very hard to get fired; we are heavily motivated to get the members of our community on board, albeit we may have to set the bar low.

There is an end to the school day. The bell rings, and you're done for today. There are no brownie points for the child that stays "at work" late in the night, simply for the face time. You don't get to skip lunch. You are required to take a recess. And we finish our day relatively early . . . so that you can get some balance in your life (which is good for your productivity). You have time for things like sports, scouts, clubs, visits to the library or a park, or simply, for play.

We have structured school like our lives should be structured. It is a very good template for adults to adopt; and as a teacher it's a given.

We think of kids as innocent and we value that. Adults get arrogant with their successes, their money, their experience. And they get jaded with their failures, their indebtedness, and their scars.

Jesus said to clear the way for kids to find their way to Him. He basically told us to become like children.

But He wants us to become like children, as in . . . those that trust, that are eager to learn, that have open minds, that do not see others as members of a category. 

When children are jaded and bitter . . . when they heap scorn upon their elders, peppering their language with vulgar metaphors; when they effect an image that they know will create distance between themselves and others; it only means they are pre-maturely cynical. Why should we desire curmudgeonly teens? Yet, half of our society is celebrating that, even today.

Christ surrounded Himself with mechanics, laborers, people of moderate means . . . people without degrees . . . and they became History's most important teachers and mentors. 

The best kids seem to have had great connections with their families: They have life-long warm memories of their grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins. They do not get tangled up in politics, because they value their families, communities, and friends too much for that. It should be society's goal to ensure that that is the first thing we do for our kids. 

As a teacher . . . I want kids to see me as someone that accepts them . . . all of them . . . and all of their viewpoints and wonderful distinctive qualities. Our goal for our schools is that they really are a safe place for kids . . . all kids . . . not just the ones that our own political party serves. All of them. 

And that's where it gets hard. It seems impossible.

But Love has never presented itself as easy.