What is worthy teaching?

A teacher is a candle; she/he illuminates.  My connection to this metaphor is from my childhood experiences during Christmas Eve church service.  The pastor lit one candle during the singing of, “Silent Night,” and then the one candle was used to light all of the candles being held by the individual congregants.  Here the ‘light of truth’ in a religious context illuminated the church.  While I do not advocate religion in public schools, I do see the practitioner teacher is also a holder of light (knowledge and wisdom). Through that teacher, the students grow and become part of the light in a communal sense.  The light grows from individual to communal.

An excellent teacher should demonstrate the recognition of the value of student diversity.  Students bring into the classroom their unique perceptions, heritage and cultures.  Because of this, people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates, so the teacher needs not only to understand the course material but also to incorporate innovative and differentiated activities in an effective, organized and meaningful way.  Ongoing student assessment is critical to enable the student to advance.  The teacher needs to be a facilitator; he/she guides with empathy, maintains a positive classroom experience with negotiated classroom rules, but also arouses curiosity, exploration, and fosters independent and critical thought.  This higher level thinking is accomplished through group learning.  This teacher looks to peers and administration for counsel, support, sharing of ideas and the promotion of good teaching practices.  The worthy teacher is a life-long learner and never satisfied. He/she is always reflecting-in-action, re-framing and re-defining.

Reflection is supposed to be uncomfortable; it is a state of disequilibrium. Thinking reflectively is challenging and so is presenting those reflective thoughts.  This discomfort however leads to higher learning.  Nothing is clear and metaphorically speaking, we have to muck around in the swampy lowlands and get dirty as per the Donald Schon.  The practitioner teaches not only how to build ships, but also figure out what types of ships to build.

If I can accomplish all of the above, then I see myself becoming a worthy teacher, as a reflective artist, with a repertoire of experiences, who is always questioning myself and willing to take risks outside of my comfort zone, and immersing myself into this craft called teaching.