Date: Wed 4/2/2003 4:59 AM
Random Thought: What's Most Important

I just had a teacher ask me, "What do you think is the most important part of being a teacher."

To be honest, I don't have an answer. I don't know what THE most important part of being a teacher might be. I do know what the most important part of being a teacher is for me. It is keeping ablaze that burning desire to learn.

I don't mean learning about my subject. That's the least of it, and the easiest part of being a teacher. I mean learning about myself, about each student whom I serve, about others around me. In this age of high speed access to information, we must be wary that we don't get swept up in undervaluing the need for the skills of reflection, pondering, and rumination. I am my own raw ore and I am my own smeltering plant. As I challenge my prejudices, as I question my preconceptions, as I ruminate on my perceptions, as I ponder my biases, as I reflect on my fears, as I think about my negatives, as I destroy my idols, I can help others help themselves do the same.