As an adult, I sometimes notice a behavior or response in myself that I can attribute to some passing wisdom one of my parents imparted along the way. When this happens I try to call one of them as soon as I can to thank them for the long-ago lesson. It seems the least I can do to honor their hard work in raising me.
As a teacher, sometimes I see a reflection of the life lessons I came here to teach. When it’s subtle and unprovoked, you know it’s real and it’s magic. In a lot of my teaching, I try to include the essence of a quote that Martin Luther King, Jr. apparently told his children before they left for school each day. It is along the lines of, “…always consider those who cannot get an education even as good as yours…you will not be the best you can be until they are the best they can be…” This is a heavy load for me to burden eight-year olds, but a model of the responsibility I want to see in the world.
Today some of that magic happened. In short, we were finishing a math lesson. Four of my kids who share a table and frequently argue about anything were wrapping up some independent work. As I made rounds, I realized that they were whispering to one another. Two of the kids are average at fractions, two were really struggling. I watched from afar as the former two patiently walked their peers through the final problems. In elementary school we often, foolishly call this cheating. As adults, we call it collaborating. As a person who believes we won’t be our best until everyone is their best, I call it the reason I came to be a teacher.
So, I waited until the four were done, then made sure everyone in the class came together to listen as I explained what I’d seen and how important it is. If they attribute this to me later in life, great, but if they continue to live this way on their own, even better!