Inspiration
When you are feeling under the weather and are stuck in bed with the flu two things happen: You sleep a lot and you reflect. I spent the last five days reflecting on why I became a teacher. I thought about how I learn, how we all learn and grow. Also, how each of us are so unique and beautiful but how we are also connected by three universal themes: adventure, curiosity and conquest of self-doubt and ignorance. No one chooses to be uneducated or illiterate. In fact, the pathfinder and pioneer in all of us needs only to be supplied with the tools of exploration and discovery and with a little imagination, we will always try to answer the questions that our minds ask. It is a human trait to be inquisitive. As educators, we need to recognize this and simply step aside and let students loose on their adventure, devices and implements in hand.
We Are All Adventurers
At heart we are all adventurers. We love the anticipation of traveling somewhere new and exciting, even if it is vicariously through our television sets. We go to the movie theater to be swept away from reality and immersed in the fantastical worlds of our favorite characters. Often though, we forget to pause and look around us, delve into our own presence, sensibility, actuality. For many of us, education envelops our context and framework of life. We love what we do. We appreciate the opportunity to shape young minds, to be the next generation of curious, innovative, explorers.
Deep down we know that this profession is not about data or test scores, popularity or fame. It is about planting the seed. The concept of individuality. The notion of free thought and expression. The particle of mindset and that ringing in the ears that is both constant and persuasive. All leading to the purpose of learning something new every day, betterment and growth. We need to not merely be adventurers but navigators, swashbucklers and daredevils. Embrace every adventure with anticipation, adrenaline and action. Accept agitation and learn to circumnavigate the gale.
Anticipation and Acquirement
Anticipation is the spark. As we traverse the current of knowledge we will only continue to fight our way upstream if we believe there is a treasure at the mouth of the river. Like any swashbuckler or daredevil, we are looking for an opportunity for excitement and wealth, only in this case it is not monetary but acquirement of something far more timeless, fulfillment. We need to be both intrigued and scrutinizing: we will only truly learn if we find the topic personal and interesting.
Even the most tedious or boring content needs to be spiced up in order for us to stay focused. We are human after all. We have to focus our attention somehow. In the classroom, teachers and students alike, enjoy the unknown, discovering new things and determining a way to integrate new information into our schema. Personal strategies are the beacon of light that guides our ship to shore. As educators, all we need to do is make sure the beam is bright enough for all the ships to make it safely back to harbor. If we get students fascinated and a little perplexed they will take the wheel and guide themselves into the dock even in the most tumultuous of waters.
Impetus and Agitator
Like any situation, adventurers need that impetus to journey away from what is comfortable and familiar. To sail the high seas in search of bounty. The impulse for cultivation and extension is embedded in us. It is the drive that keeps society advancing and technology skyrocketing. It takes only a hunch, an inkling of creativity or imagination to get the ball rolling. But the momentum to forge ahead has to be nurtured and coaxed. Bolstered by success. Reinforced by triumph. Augmented by failure and setbacks. Buttressed by the unwavering support of those around us. As educators, we not only inspire and get students curious, we also are their sounding board in which they can find their footing on deck and keep the stern level in the storm.
There are agitators and reactionaries that stand firm on the dock ready to steer us back out to sea unexpectedly. As students, this can be detrimental to our learning. When we lose our faith in ourselves it can blind us and we get off course. We need a strong sense of the stars so we can use them to find our way back on track. It is these skills, that as educators, we must pass on to our students. This strategy is needed to keep their sails strong in the winds of adversity: autonomy and self-reliance. Agitation does not have to mean permanent upheaval. A disturbance or commotion yes, but this stirring leads to a solution and this unfolding of truth leads to the acquisition of knowledge.
Ready, Set, Go: Action!
Action can be calm and personal or it can be collaborative and dynamic. Each of us learns and grows in a very individual and unique way. It is the anticipation and agitation that determines how we see the world. If we are given the opportunity to be autonomous and independent then our vision of personal growth is more fluid and flexible. Short-comings become accomplishments because we endure through them. We lose our fear and welcome the unknown, the challenging and what seems insurmountable. We feel vindicated when we reach the summit and can see how far we have come.
The journey may be one that encompasses camaraderie and collaboration, self-reliance and self-determination but ultimately it comes down to one thing: that voice inside us that beckons us out of bed in the morning, draws us to a good book or welcomes us into the classroom. It is the confidence we gain from being able to sketch, navigate and arrive at our own destination. Whether the voyage is bumpy or smooth we chose the mode of transportation, we chose journey's end and most importantly, we chose the discourse along the way. Let students be swashbucklers, daredevils, adventurers and they will envision the treasure and their chest of bounty will be overflowing.
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