What is this? Are they standing in line? Well, yesterday morning, I
bumped into another past student, whom I'll call Sam, at the DIY store. When
I told Susie, she giggled, "Another experience, huh?" She wasn't kidding. Do
you know what Sam and talked about, mostly Sam? Love! These are bits and
pieces of our conversation as I scribbled them down later in the car.
"....When you told us about your epiphany during your 'what do you want
to know about me' session in class and that because of it you loved each us,
that what we were going to do in class was because you had faith in us and
believe in us, that each of us can be more than 'average,' that there wasn't
any reason any of us couldn't be 'honors,' I thought of what I did--or didn't
do--in high school and rolled my eyes......Remember how I fought you? But, you
fought back....Remember, you said you were a 'man of many second
chances'....Your actions matched your words....You fought back for each of us.
You were a encouraging pit bull. You never tired....You just wouldn't let
go....I never told you that I soon learned that I needed that love, your love
for me to see my love for myself...I didn't have your courage to tell you that
I needed you to believe in me when I didn't. I needed you to have faith in me
when I was scared to....I needed you to help me ask and answer, 'what does he
see that I don't?' .... Everyone I knew in that class needed all that....You
saw each of us as who we could be and not as who we were....You know, you may
not like to hear this, but what I remember most from our class is how you
helped me pull myself out from my 'I can't' beliefs with those projects and our
small talks, and made me feel like a winner...I wish I had heard that in other
classes, but I didn't. Not in one. I had to see and listen to you in my head
with a reassuring 'you can do it' smile to keep me going. Still do at times."
I have to admit that when he said those last words my eyes started to
water and my breathing got a bit heavy. "I'll let you in on a secret," I said,
"In those other classes, and now, you were and are really hearing yourself, not
me; and you're still doing it yourself, I'm not."
"Yes, you're right. You're still teaching me even after all these
years. Wish you hadn't retired. Others need that unconditional love. Our
schools need it...Everyone needs it...."
"What are you doing now?" I got around to ask, not expecting his answer.
"I'm a minster....Can you believe it? Me! Sometimes I can't. But,
I'm struggling to do for others what you did for me. I want them to see and to
believe as you did and help me to do....You've given me my sermon topic for
next week."
"No, I didn't. You just gave it to yourself. What's the topic going
to be?"
"You!"
"Me?"
"I'm won't refer to you by name. I'm going to call my sermon
'Believing is Seeing.' 'Believing' gives you a set of penetrating 'heart's
eyes.' If you believe, you do more than look at. You see; you have faith in,
have hope for, and love, you would see how much more a person ought to be and
could be. 'Seeing' is wonderment. 'Seeing' goes beneath the skin...It reveals
extraordinary qualities within that mere the 'looking at' of the mind's eyes do
not...With those 'heart's eyes,' you would act on each person's potential
rather than how they appear and act this moment. Just like you did with me and
others. Looking at myself I thought you were wasting your time. Seeing me,
you didn't. You helped me stop looking and start seeing. That was the
beginning of believing--and loving...."
I was stunned. "You're stealing my thunder, taking words out of my
mouth. I just shared part of a reflection on the internet by that very title
that says that very thing." I said with more than a surprised tone, "and
because it was a long one, I split it in half. But, I haven't yet put up the
second half on the internet....."
We talked some more about the community building exercises, "Words For
the Day," journaling, the projects, and what Sam, the Reverend Sam, called "all
that transforming from 'looking to seeing,' challenging, serious fun."
I tell you this vignette because Sam put his finger on what I
unswervingly know academia needs. It's implementing in the classroom what
Rabbi Joshua Herschel called "radical amazement." You can only ignore someone
you don’t think is worthy, valuable, sacred, and noble. But, you can’t ever
take off your mind and heartf, even for a second, from the ones you respect,
have unconditional faith in, have hope for, believe in. To do that, ike the
Beatles sang, "all you need is love."
Make it a good day
-Louis-
Louis Schmier
http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org
203 E. Brookwood Pl http://www.therandomthoughts.com
Valdosta, Ga 31602
(C) 229-630-0821 /\ /\ /\ /\
/\
/^\\/ \/ \ /\/\__
/ \ / \
/ \/ \_ \/ / \/
/\/ / \ /\ \
//\/\/ /\ \__/__/_/\_\/
\_/__\ \
/\"If you want to climb
mountains,\ /\
_ / \ don't practice on mole
hills" - / \_
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