On Teaching" "The Depth of the Riches"

In my teaching, I find that it’s so easy to get lost in the minutiae on the surface of things that I seldom appreciate the depth of the riches in my students’ lives. In that sense, perhaps I could be compared to a miner for gold who spends his days chipping away at surface rocks, completely oblivious to the treasures that lie just beneath his feet. Because he’s so busy rushing here and there with his small mining tools, he has no awareness of the truckloads full of gold awaiting him below the surface. I’m afraid a similar thing happens to me. It’s as if I’m wearing some type of special glasses that enable me to only see the myriad, minuscule details directly in front of me, all the while missing the vast treasures spread out in the depths of my students’ minds and hearts. There’s a fairy tale in here somewhere. It’s about a man who desperately wanted to be a great teacher, and set out in search of that noble goal. For years he exhausted himself by making detailed lesson plans, fretting over a million details like how many essays can he grade in an hour and who’s whispering when they should be listening. Finally, he fell asleep of exhaustion, and when he awoke, he saw his 42 students standing in front of him, shining so brightly it was as if they were made of gold and diamonds. He then heard a voice say, “This is the secret of great teaching: just be always aware of the immeasurable richness of your students’ lives.” Today, I can’t allow myself to fuss about the picky details of teaching, because if I do, I will miss the treasures that lie in front of me – the 42 “gold mines” loaded with wealth. Each of my students brings with them an infinite depth of wisdom and insight, and it’s my sacred task to simply stand back and marvel at them, and to allow them to reveal their treasures. Actually, unlike actual gold mines, no “digging” is required. All I have to do is open my eyes and see what’s right there --- these groups of young people as luminous as gold.