Teaching as vocation
LISTEN |
SHOULDERS
A man crosses the street in rain, stepping gently, looking two times north and south, because his son is asleep on his shoulder. No car must splash him, No car drive too near to his shadow. This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo but he’s not marked. Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE. His ears fill up with breathing, He hears the hum of a boy’s dream deep inside him. We’re not going to be able to live in this world if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing with one another. The road will only be wide. The rain will never stop falling. Naomi Shihab Nye |
A reading from the gospel according to Matthew
People brought little children to Jesus, for him to lay his hands on them and say a prayer. The disciples turned them away, but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’. Then he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:13-15) Teachers engage daily in the most profound work: nurturing the mind, heart and spirit of children, the future of a nation… let us take time to reflect deeply on the rich ministry that is entrusted to us…. and explore it through the image of Midwife.
Teacher as Midwife
Bringing to birth that which is already alive and becoming….. seeing the child as subject of her learning. Creating a trusting and hospitable space where
Nurturing an interpersonal space where each is midwife to the other – the teacher is student
and the student is teacher. Let this story speak..
Student as Midwife
THE FREEDOM OF OUR DEEPEST SELF I was a junior in high school, student of a beloved English teacher who was fair, but tough. If Mrs. Allen gave a good grade you knew you had earned it. She did not grade out of kindness, nor did she reward ‘potential’. One weekend she asked our class to write a paper from the point of view of the King of England who had abdicated his throne for love. A week later she walked between the rows putting the graded essays face down on each desk. As she laid my paper in front of me she paused and said, “Your essay made me cry”. It wasn’t much. Five words. I know I am a writer today because of that moment. I knew that her evaluation meant something. In some respect we are always hoping for someone to see not only our talents, but our deepest self and the power it embodies. There are so many polite ‘no’s’ and ‘yes’s’ in our lives. In many ways we avoid the heart of things, and shy from what lies beneath the surface. Lending our lives to a deeper meaning and the emergence of truth is very different. It demands vigilance and commitment. It may involve choices that set us apart. This is what’s required to be ‘born again in the spirit’. From the heart of all things the Greater Soul asks us to pull our boats up on the beach, nets and all. Put those things aside. Follow me. (Paula D’Arcy – Daybreaks 2007) Learning from our own experience…
Was there a ‘Mrs Allen’ in my life? In The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal it is said:
"The best gift we receive from great mentors is not their knowledge or their approach to teaching but the sense of self they evoke in us."
|