Finding our path: Becoming who we are
Hillman continues, “If not this vivid or sure, the call may have been more like gentle pushing in the stream in which you drifted unknowingly to a particular spot on the bank. Looking back you sense that fate had a plan in it.”
Teaching was my “must do, this is what I’ve got to have. This is who I am.” It would be my passion, my love for students, my love for education. I taught for fifty years, nearly forty in the classroom and twelve teaching teachers. I never doubted my commitment. When challenged, when in despair, when forlorn, I discovered ways to back away from chaos, stress, from anxiety. I sought solace and inspiration in the wisdom I discovered through the years.
Whatever path you are on, it has been yours and still is. It may have different manifestations but likely it has its coherence. Those of us who chose to be teachers, you may be questioning its viability. So much criticism, so many angry and confused parents, meddling politicians, state legislators taking money out of public education and giving it to parents, the dismantling of the Department of Education, and for many years now, the lurking gun. Not much going your way.
Yet, you are on your path. Your decision to stay is yours, perhaps other mitigating factors could be in play. Should you choose to stay, seek all the help you can find. Being a teacher takes more courage now. Other readers of this post, if you know a teacher, let her know you support and admire what she does every day. Advocate for best practices at school board meetings. And if you are parent, let your child know that her teachers are a valuable part of your family. It’s knowing when we are in community we are at our best.
