Teaching with passion is being in a "groove." Ever been in a groove?
It's far from a rut. And, unlike a rut, I won't want to get out of it once I
get into it, for once I am, there is no stopping. I've got the rhythm. I can
overcome almost anything. I can win over the most skeptical of skeptics. It
has more power than knowledge, reputation, or position. It has a magic, a magic
that is the difference between "just doing" and accomplishing. It has an
excited "let's take on the world" quality. It overwhelms that feeling of being
overwhelmed. It discourages discouragement. It makes today the day. It
lightens the weight of my work. It hastens my step. It appreciates the
moment. It's mood contagious. It delights in the moment. It makes the
abundance of life become my abundance of teaching. It lifts limitations. It
converts the bitter into the better. It negates negatives. It positively moves
positively forward; it inspires. It motivates. It doubtlessly frees from
doubt. It adds the light. It tows me out from the swallowing grasps of
clinging mud. It's a flow that can't be dammed up; it's always looking for new
ways to be more effective; like water, it finds every crack, nook and cranny;
it's always a source of energy.
I'm not sure any real teaching can be done without passion. In fact,
without passion, teaching is bankrupt. Without passion, I can't open any
doorways to a student's spirit. Passion is a Draino that keeps the sludge of
negatives, criticism, frustrations, resignations, and angers from building up
and clogging my spirit. It's a teaching not by sight, but by faith. It is
faith that gives me sight. I teach with heart, and it is heart that's at the
heart of education. It is passion that remakes my eyes for wonder, which
allows me to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and knowing that if I do the
ordinary in extraordinary ways, the results will be extraordinary. In many
ways, passion, combined with horse sense and commitment and persistence, is the
difference between mediocrity and excellence. It's an asset that's worth far
more than reputation and knowledge.
Teaching with passion is about being optimistic. Optimism is the
currency of human existence. It is the essence of every great love story, of
sweeping epics, of bittersweet tales. How can I argue against optimism. What
good has pessimism ever done? I've never heard a pessimist say, "How great it
feels." It's a matter of considering the consequences. The most powerful
antibiotic for self defeating thoughts is being positive. If I always
expecting the dawn, I never sleep in the dark very long. If I see the
positives, if I help students see the positives, the positive possibilities
have a better shot of happening, a better shot of staying up. I'll have a
better chance of leaving those negative thoughts in the dust while I'm making
dust. It's a challenge. What's the purpose in tearing down, in denigrating, or
in demeaning? How can anyone build a strong structure if I use faulty bricks
made out of the mud of "can't" and "no" and "wrong?" They won't boost my
energy level or put I in the mood to help either myself or others. If I am
truly serious about being passionate and positive, then I must act that way. I
must go on a positive diet and watch those leaded pounds of negatives melt
away.
When students are feeling joy, fun, confidence, and exhilaration,
they're grasping a wisdom of the heart that tempers the mind. The difference I
will see may be a smile or a brighten eye or a straightened stance. The
difference may even be so subtle I won't see anything. Nevertheless, they can
influence the way students think and act. I have seen spectacular results
coming from powerfully powerful words and actions. As Nellie sings in SOUTH
PACIFAC, "I'm stuck like a dope with a thing called hope, and I can't get it
out of my heart!
That's what it's all about!
Make it a good day.
--Louis--
Louis Schmier
http://therandomthoughts.edublogs.org/
Department of History www. halcyon.com/arborhts/louis.html
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /\ /\ /\ /\
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