I know. Thinking, feeling, reflecting introspectively, writing a lot
lately. But, it's not just that student who has really gotten into me or that
I'm still feeling the gift he gave me. There's more that I'm not ready to talk
about yet. But, still echoing in my soul are his words, "You didn't give up on
me." Give up? Me? Never! As the Talmud says, “You are not obligated to
complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” So, I am a guy of
many second chances. And though I may not always 'win,' and I don't, I never
surrender. I never stop believing, having faith, having hope, and loving. I
always say that my favorite passage in Scripture, my guiding north star for all
my feelings, thoughts, and actions that I use not to "thingify" teaching, to
ritualize or ceremonialize it--or anything in life--is Micah 6:8. It's my
favorite. It reminds me to "humanize" what I do, that what really matters is
people. But I don't think it's the most important passage in Scripture.
Micah rests on what I believe is the seminal biblical passage. Take
the whole of the New Testament, the whole of the Old Testament, the whole of
the Koran, the whole of the Midrash, the whole of the Talmud, the whole of all
the Jewish and Christian and Islamic writings, however often misused and abused
and perverted they may be by imperfect followers. It all rests on one passage
and one passage only. The rest is commentary. It's among the opening passages
of the Old Testament. Maybe the fact that it's among the opening passages
reveals its significance. Genesis 1:27 gets my vote: "In the Image of God
they were created." The spark of the Divine in us all. Imperfect, but godly,
all of us. Bar none. Sacred, noble, valuable, worthy, unique. All of us. No
exceptions. No conditions. No exclusions. No judgments. No ifs, ands, or
buts!
"In the image of God were they created." A simple but profound and
challenging and elegant statement. But, really. Do we believe it? Do we see
the angel ahead of each student, reminding us with the proclaiming, "Make way,
make way, make way for someone created in the image of God?" We all believe we
are decent folk; I know we all want to be decent folk. But do we believe in all
the people who populate our campuses and classrooms? Do we act as if we
believed everyone is made in God's image? Do we feel as if we believe everyone
has a unique potential? Perhaps the easiest answer to that question is how we
talk, and how we act, towards each student. If we really believed that every
student is created in God's image, if we truly did, then simple decent
feelings, thoughts and behavior toward each of them would flow. We'd be
nurturers for all and weeders of none.
So, I ask, is an uttered "I care" simply a comforting platitude or an
expected sound bite? I think we would act differently if we really practiced
caring and acted caringly, rather than just mouthing it. Do we mean "I care"
when we disengagingly say, "It's not my job?" Do we mean "I care" when we
haughtily say, "I don't have time?" Do we mean "I care" when we say
disparagingly, "They're letting anyone in?" Do we mean "I care" when we
negatively act in a way that reveals "Students nowadays can't.....don't....?"
Do we mean "I care" when we annoyingly say, "This generation....in my day when
I was a student?" Do we mean "I care" when we resignedly say, "Well, you can't
get to all of them; so why try?" Do we mean "I care" when we're more
interested in and care about informing and credentialling than transforming?
Do we mean "I care" when our hearts and minds are in the lab or archive?
Before you answer any of these questions, keep a few things in mind:
First, how did you feel as a student when you were treated as if you
were far, far less than angelic? Second, how do you feel when as a faculty or
staff member you are not respectfully treated by colleagues or administrators?
Third, the more we can be honest with ourselves, acknowledge our own
imperfections, the more we can accept those imperfections in a student. That
is, we can have empathy, sympathy, and compassion. You know, I learned that
humility does not mean self-effacement; it does not mean thinking of ourselves
as worthless or useless. But rather it means being honest with ourselves and
accepting our limitations. Once we know and accept our own limitations, we can
more readily accept that in another human being. Fourth, if you believed and
lived Genesis 1:27, I bet you'd notice each student. You'd feel differently
about and speak differently to and of each student. You'd find the time to
spend more time with each student who needed your time. You'd complain less
about students. You'd give more. You'd accept each of them both as she or he
is and as she or he can be. You'd forgive them for not being mini copies of
us, for not being perfect, for not doing everything we want them to be all the
time. You'd accept each of them both as she or he is and as she or he can be.
You'd work harder to help each one help her/himself transform her/himself.
You'd be a person of unending second chances. I bet eventually you'd teach
fully, and urgently, and carefully; you'd see teaching as an essential part of
your professional life rather than apart from it or an intrusion on it.
Fifth, what would you do if a student came up to you and said, "I'm giving you
one more chance. I'm important. I'm worthy. You don't pay enough attention
to me. You aren't interested enough in what's happening in my life. I'm giving
you one more chance. Notice me. Care about me. Help me." And finally, each
time we can generate empathy and sympathy, have passion and compassion for,
encourage and support, have belief in, faith in, hope for, and love a student
before judging or blaming or weeding out, we change the world. And, as we
continue to strive to change the world just that much more we can leave it
better than when we found it.
So, "in the image of God were they created." It is an awesome notion
that gives us tremendous energy and tremendous responsibility. It's the
unlimited source of unlimited dedication, commitment, perseverance to
transforming rather than merely informing and credentialing. Once you believe
each student has an astonishing inner light, you'll fight to keep her or him
away from the dark. And, you'll fight even harder to drag him or her out of
the dark and to help her or him be the crack in her or his own dawning.
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" - / \_
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