The only thing
Whatever inputs we receive, we decide how they impact. We grow based on the energy we choose to “give energy to.”
But it takes time for the effect of energy to be revealed. And we may never learn the effect of the energy we offer. One afternoon, a teacher may believe her lesson failed; years later, a student comes back to remind her of the meaning of that day for him.
Some days you feel you are simply along for the ride. Your schedule is interrupted, a class acts up, a parent chastises you, the principal calls you into her office.
But you can choose to overcome such infringements and redirect your energy. You make interruptions into teachable moments; tell a story to calm a disruptive class; show a parent her child’s accomplishments; and listen to the principal, acknowledge her remarks, then speak for yourself.
In such circumstances, should you wallow in self-pity you curtail the energy you need for growth. Paraphrasing Emerson, if you grow the thing that gives energy to your teaching, it will become what it is meant to be.
His words apply to all of us.
