ah, the challenge of teaching
during overwhelming times
please let me be here now
and take time
to listen,
observe,
and reflect
*
we only have
these precious moments together
two hours every other week
it’s not enough
but it’s what we have
I watch and wonder
how I can help you
rekindle curiosity and learn
when you’re too weary and anxious
to be fully present
*
let’s take the first steps together
to unpack a daunting assignment
step by step
take a few minutes to read
the article title and think
what do the authors assume
about the people and issues they studied?
*
those few precious words say a lot
about how researchers frame their work
it’s the first step for analyzing anything
and it’s too easy to move on
without taking time to realize
that this is the most important thing
they will have to say
about the assumptions, values, and worldviews
which (perhaps unconsciously)
guided the purpose and design
for the steps and details that follow
*
can one judge the quality of a work by its title?
the title, along with the abstract and key words,
offer a snapshot of authors’ views
about people and causes of problems
and clues about the trustworthiness
of their work and interpretations
*
do they encourage exploratory solutions
which are respectful and inclusive?
does their work have the potential
to enhance community connections and resilience?
*
*
“Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
‘Look!’ and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads”
Mary Oliver
(repeated because images can’t be translated)
Voices from the Margins 
There’s no ❤ button. So perfect, so simple, so true. I am astonished and grateful. Instant recognition from beyond the deep!
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Boozhoo, dear friend. It’s such a gift to hear from you. Thank you for your thoughtful, lovely comments. Sending gratitude and love. 💜
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My wife is a retired teacher. She couldn’t relate to teachers for whom teaching was just a job. For her, teaching is more than relating facts and figures, it’s relating to and loving the children you teach. “Do what you love, and love what you do.”
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Thank you for sharing your wife’s wise approach for the art of teaching, MM. It’s always a gift to hear from you. 💜
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Such important questions
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I apologize for the previous shortened comment. Trying to comment in a moment of inspiration and my fingers got carried away…
Carol, I appreciate the questions, an invitation to a deeper inquiry. How I wish more among us would allow their curiosity to emerge through the process of this deep inquiry…rather than thinking the goal is to find answer. The questions, themselves, can be the answer, if indeed that is what is sought. Through an assignment, a creative project or just about anything else. I really enjoyed this…as I explore my curiosity. I wish we had more patience and capacity for curiosity, in our world today.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments, Carrie. It’s a precious gift to hear that “your fingers got carried away” ,, “in a moment of inspiration.” Each thing we learn raises more questions to explore, but as you point out, there are too many things that demand our attention today. I am grateful the students I have worked with have taught me so many things and inspired me to keep learning. Your posts and reflections do that, too. 💜
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Teaching is a great responsibility – if only all teachers taught in such an open and questioning way.
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Your kind words are deeply appreciated, Andrea. it’s sad that so few teachers take time to listen and learn from the wisdom of those who sacrifice so much to be able to learn, especially in times like these. 💜
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