Holding Back the Tide

This is what teaching often feels like.  The tide can represent anything that wears away at effective teaching and learning - the days before a holiday, the days following a holiday, weather changes, full moons, family violence, drug or alcohol abuse, exposure to inappropriate media, malnutrition and hunger, sleep deprivation, death, abusive language, emotional abuse, neglect, illness, even the seeming innocuous time-wasters such as announcements over the p.a. system, visitors, assemblies, schedule changes, fire drills, and technical difficulties.  Then there are also student behaviors and attitudes, teacher behaviors and attitudes, teacher and student burnout, too much or too little sugar or caffeine, hormones, mean people (sometimes including myself), talkative people (often including myself), agendas, stress, lack of supplies, lack of storage, lack of heat or air conditioning,  or too much heat or air conditioning.  But there are moments, sometimes hours, each day, each week,  when distractions are held at bay, and learning forms in tidal pools, full of interesting tidbits of knowledge and activity, with students delightfully peering in and being changed by what they find there.  In these moments, teaching feels like toes in warm sand, sun on your face, a warm sea breeze, and life all around.

Why did the boy throw the alarm clock out the window?

So he could see time fly.  I haven't thrown any alarm clocks lately, but time is certainly flying!  I can't believe it is already November, and one week in, no less.  This is the candy-contaminated section of the year, when familiarity begins to breed, well, not necessarily contempt, but boredom and audacity.  Our true colors are showing themselves, or so it seems.  Somehow, as an educator, I can't really believe that the stubborn, mean-mouthed child that is causing all the trouble of the moment is really showing his or her true colors, but is, in reality, puffing up the few feathers he or she has in an attempt to look larger and thereby scare away any potential threat.  My students feel safe, but not safe enough.  There is still so much to learn - for me, about reaching and supporting them, and for them, about how to succeed in school, relationships, and life.  Those moments in the crucible, the administrative oppression, the emotional collisions that seem so irrational, the judgment of others, the desperation of trying to conquer the chaos, the distraction of too many chiefs, and the attempt to maintain some semblance of home and family life, these things do seem to be making me stronger, more focused, more in tune with my students and what they need, less swayed by moods and opinions, more able to maintain a steady course.  Oh, be careful what you ask for, because God is faithful even when it's painful (Psalm 111 & Hebrews 12:11).