I am writing on an education theme throughout the whole of this Challenge. I love being a teacher of young children. It fills me up completely. I, also, love to write so, to write about something I love doing is a joy for me. I hope that becomes evident as you read through my posts.
It is exciting to be at the very beginning of a beautiful adventure. Whether it is Lucy at the Lamp Post from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or the beginning of the school year, there is almost nothing as satisfying as a journey well-experienced.
A good story and a good school year both have many things in common. For example, with books and with my students, I enter into the adventure with a degree of familiarity. For instance, I know that there will be a certain sense of structure to the stories being told and that the story, at the beginning, will be markedly different from the story that resolves itself at the end. I, also, am aware that there will be characters, both minor and major, who will add their own unique flavour to the broth. As well, I know that each will be filled with their share of intrigue, disappointment, surprise and joy. Some stories bound in print, move slowly. Some school years do, too. Some characters are memorable and leave a lasting impression on one's heart and mind; some students are like that, too.
However, even with the familiarity of standard story structure or of a semester-filled school year, each journey involves the unexpected, if it is to be worth anything in the end. A master story teller can touch your heart, while stretching your imagination and, at the same time, imparting knowledge that makes the reader or listener a profoundly new and better person for having experienced such talent and skill. A school year is no less stocked with wonder. As a teacher nearing the end of his career, I am so completely and totally indebted to my students for their tireless efforts to educate me and to expand my mind. They have touched my heart in countless simple yet, profound ways. They have shown me such imagination and determination and resilience. Their natural curiosity fuels my teaching and fills my days with such a sense of humility and gratitude for being afforded the opportunity to experience the world with new eyes. Teaching, as in reading, is a journey that is most satisfying when we allow ourselves to be open to the wonder and beauty of Life.
As I embark on another A-to-Z blogging journey, I am hopeful of a most satisfying experience, filled with interesting characters who will, also, touch my heart and expand my mind. Good luck to everyone. Glad that this beautiful adventure has finally begun!!!
Artwork by Skleppi
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