On Teaching: "Focusing on the Ocean, Not a Whitecap"

It would be silly to look out at the ocean on a windy day and praise one individual whitecap, and, in a way, it is just as silly to praise the work of the teacher in a classroom. The power behind the movement of the whitecap is the measureless, almighty ocean, and the power behind the teaching and learning in the classroom is a force far greater than a single person called a teacher. Yes, it appears that the teacher is leading the class and creating the learning experiences, just as it appears that the whitecap on the surface of the ocean is creating its own motion. We know, though, that the vast seas of the globe work together to produce their zillions of whitecaps, and we should understand that incredible unseen forces combine in mysterious ways to produce education in the classroom. What I want to keep in mind today is the “ocean” in my classroom. Within the four walls of my room there is a power at work that is immeasurable and unfathomable. Each day, after eons of ceaseless and harmonious performances, the great universe arrives in my classroom to play its miraculous games. As the teacher, I am only one part of these games, a part that’s no more important than the part my students play, or the part the air and the lights in the classroom play. In this daily celebration of learning, we’re all one, all together, and all important. To say that the teacher is leading everything is as foolish as saying one breeze leads all the winds on a summer day, or one whitecap is in charge of the boundless sea.