A natonal shoe company wanted to expand its business into rural areas.
It sent two shoe salesmen into one region of the backwoods. After a short
while passed, one salesman came back totally frustrated. Stumping, with a dour
look on his face, he angrily exclaimed with great exasperation: "What a waste
of my time. None of these people wear shoes. I'm cursed! " The second
salesman appeared much later with a a zip in his step, an excited smile on his
face, exuberantly exclaiming, "What a fantastic opportunity I have there. None
of these people wear shoes. It's a miracle!"
Which salesman are you when you enter the classroom? The one that
spirals down into hopelessness having converted challenge into barrier or the
one that spirals up into optimism having transformed challenge into
opportunity? It all just depends on what you see and to what you intensely
listen; and, what you see and to what you listen reveal what you're made of.
That must be a heck of a "just" because so many of us academics have so many
negative "they're letting anyone in" or "students nowadays" thoughts toward
students which we let define us into unenthusiastic and maybe even self-pitying
"alas" and "ah, me" situations and dispositions.
You know, the simplest and easiest way to improve our teaching? Remake
ourselves. You know the most complicated and hardest way to improve our
teaching? Remake ourselves. Simple or complicated, easy or hard, we have to
acquire a habit of always seeing blessings instead of curses, of being up
rather than down, of being positive instead of negative, of dancing rather than
plodding, of smiling--inside and out--instead of frowning, of seeing today as
nothing less than a miracle, of knowing each of our lives is a miracle. I
know, simple is not easy. But, hard is not synonymous with "impossible!"
"Hard" is synonomous with "important," "valuable," "significant,"
"transforming," and "accomplishment." The "learned helplessness" can be
unlearned. If you have the persevering "hang-in-theredness," if you build up
your emotional and mental fitness, if you foster strong, supporting, and
encouraging connections, if you replace a poverty of spirit with a richness, if
you have the discipline to establish the habit of an upbeat disposition, if you
lighten rather than darken, if you retrain yourself to see and listen, all this
positive stuff will be powerful beyond your wildest dreams. Trust me, I know.
I've been there and am still there. Happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment,
significance do not rely on what is happening around us, but what is happening
inside us. True giving and service in the classroom is not rooted in
information; it is rooted in connection and community; its foundation love,
faith, hope, empathy, and compassion. Our lasting impact comes from who we
are, not from what we know. Our ability to feel these feelings is among the
most wonderful and miracle-creating teaching tools--living tools, for that
matter--- we have at our disposal to make everything serene, comfortable,
meaningful, purposeful, gratifying, and significant for everyone.
Dreamy, flighty, "hallmarkish," soft, touchy-feely, "new age-ish,
mushy? Heck, this is supported by the latest hard science!
Whatever it is, determined to be the likes of the second salesman, at
the start of the day, before the sun rises, I have a ritual of doing five to
six things. First, I grind my coffee beans and make myself a pot freshly
brewed coffee. Second, every other day, I go out for a meditative three mile
power walk while on the other days I do my dumbbell sets. Third, I randomly
pick a word from my stack of positive "Word to Live By Today." The other
morning the word happened to be "smile." With my Susan having back surgery
that morning to remove a cyst from her lower spine, it was a great word for
that day, and while I was at the hospital waiting I made it a point to find
reasons to smile and help others smile. Fourth, I slowly read and reflect on
each line in my "Teacher's Oath" with the intention of living each word.
Fifth, I gaze at some words hanging above my computer the latest of which are
those of Pablo Casals: "Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness.
If he acts on it and listens to it, he is giving a great deal of what the world
needs most. It is not complicated, but it takes courage. It takes courage for a
person to listen to his own goodness and act upon it." And finally, I close
my eyes and imagine an angel walking in front of each student proclaiming,
"Make way! Make way! Make way for someone created in the image of God." I
use them all collectively to put me into a deep caring, empathetic, faithful,
hopeful, and, above all, loving mood; I use them to realize how amazing each
moment is; I use them to appreciate all the wonder I am immersed in; I use them
to be thankful for all the good I have; I use them to celebrate the magnificent
miracles in each supposedly ordinary moment; I use them to treasure it all.
All this is not a series of fluffy emotional or mental exercises. This
is visceral stuff, for as I choose to bring my purpose and vision into my
consciousness, I feel a surge of the immense power of intention, an energized
focus of caring. It is an energy that grows and envelopes me, envelopes and
extends beyond me, extends and embraces others. You see, the most powerful
teaching technique you have at your disposal is an empathetic and compassionate
heart. It's a simple syllogism: improve your heart, you improve your life;
improve your life, you improve everything you feel, think, and do; improve
everything you feel and think and do, you create a better world for everyone
around you.
So, I ask again: which salesman are you when you enter the classroom?
Make it a good day
-Louis-
Louis Schmier
http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org
Department of History http://www.therandomthoughts.com
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /\ /\ /\ /\
/\
(O) 229-333-5947 /^\\/ \/ \ /\/\__ / \ /
\
(C) 229-630-0821 / \/ \_ \/ / \/ /\/ / \
/\ \
//\/\/ /\ \__/__/_/\_\/
\_/__\ \
/\"If you want to climb
mountains,\ /\
_ / \ don't practice on mole
hills" - / \_
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected].
To unsubscribe click here:
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=10408
or send a blank email to
leave-10408-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
