Saturday, July 24, 2010
Ch 3: The Hidden Wholeness; Paradox in teaching and learning
I thought one of the most important quotes in this chapter was: "To become a better teacher, I must nurture a sense of self that both does and does not depend on the responses of others." It is quite a beautiful paradox that reminds us to care for our inner landscape and have balance in our lives. When I have had a "bad" teaching day it can often be traced back to lack of care to my sense of self. This tarnishes my inner soul and has a negative impact on my energy, attitude and teaching. When I teach on a day like this I come to school with a tank half (or less) full and the results of my teaching reflect that. Also, I am literally coming to school incomplete, with pieces of myself that need nurturing missing so responses (especially negative) from students or colleagues affect me more. If we care for our inner self we are appreciative of our gifts and accepting of our weaknesses or limitations. When our students see us model an acceptance of self it creates a welcoming environment and gives them the freedom to recognize their gifts and limitations and experience risk by becoming more involved in the learning process.
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Blessed be God!
ReplyDeleteDear Angie,
This class is really enriching our lives...I can see it everytime we are in class and everytime we write and read each others blogs. Thank you for sharing what your soul is experiencing.
You wrote, "I am literally coming to school incomplete, with pieces of myself that need nurturing missing so responses (especially negative) from students or colleagues affect me more." Many times the same have happened to me...my bad mood, pollutes my teaching environment and provokes negative responses.
Yet, it takes not a great event to open the eyes of my soul to the ever real presence and love of God within me and others to change my day. My eyes full of tears announce my understanding of the unspoken message of God...a child's smile, a kind deed, a word of praise, a sunny day, a beautiful blue sky...it's all I need to feel at home again.
I wish and pray your future gray days to be soon full of color.
God bless!
Blessed be God!
ReplyDeleteAngie,
Definetely we as teachers know as Palmers says what it is a bad teaching day and how this can made us become dishearten. However, those experiences make us aware of many things that help us to grow and be more aware that we are in God's hands and we are his instruments.
Hi Angie, the quotation of Palmer, "To become a better teacher, I must nurture a sense of self that both does and does not depend on the responses of others," is indeed a powerful lesson for us to become better educators. To achieve this stage in our lives, it needs a lot of effort from our sides. Awareness is a first step towards growth and I see that you have this awareness. I am sure you will have a bright teaching carrier.
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