My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky;
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old, or let me die!
The child is father of the man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
William Wordsworth
1804
A short note to those I teach-
The world you know will change and you will wonder where it went.
I blew candles out tonite. Again. How quickly the annual lighting occurs. The significance of a birthday changes every year. This year I wondered, "Why candles?" (My cake had only 3 this year, probably due to budget and fire code).
Nostalgia is dangerous. Today it occurred to me that when a student talks about a former teacher they 'loved', they almost always mention a specific assignment associated with that teacher. The sum of said teacher becomes encapsulated within said assignment and that teacher is wonderful. I wonder if I have any of those students out there? Or, better yet, I wonder how many of those former teachers were told they were wonderful in the moment. I confess to having former students who were wonderful and I never told them so. The danger of nostalgic memory? Singular moments glorify or vilify people.
Slowly, I am beginning to understand some of my students.
Here's a thought from C.H. Spurgeon-
"We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition; the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the myrmidons of hell."
myrmidon \ˈmər-mə-ˌdän, -dən\
one who executes without scruple his master's command
I remember the thick layer of dust produced by our meeting of alabaster and power tools. I think often of Rich Mullins, coffee, the (sometimes burnt) smell of popcorn and Evan's literal understanding of the creator active in his creation when he took a bite out of his clay donut to make it seem more 'realistic'. And your optimistic laughter which was often the response of an honest assesment of our work. Thank you for what you've done and what you continue to do.
ReplyDeleteO.K., I sent my December 6 email before you mentioned here "Nostalgia is dangerous".
ReplyDeleteMore than likely, none of those students told their wonderful teachers that they were wonderful.
Do you really wonder if you have students (or former students) who think you to be wonderful? All you have to do is look at your Facebook wall to get the answer