You must have been “called” into the service of children to care, guide, nurture, protect, and provide opportunities for them that will allow them to discover themselves and their world. This sets the stage for them to develop in the 4 Domains of their being: Cognitively, Physically, Social-Emotionally and Spiritually.
children have to learn and discover their world.
You are going to see me refer to being “Called to serving children” a lot, because it is the foundation on which your mission as a teacher is founded and grounded. We have to be clear as to what our responsibilities are in securing, imparting, and implementing not only a curriculum that is “Child Centered” and acknowledges that each child is unique and learns in their own way, but what we do goes far beyond just what is conceptualized as “teaching”. We are creating the environment, teaching techniques and diverse modalities of learning, but we are doing something even more important in the development of a child. We are teaching children about what it is to be human and validating who they are in their “divine identity”. We are to guide them through their day-to-day learning experiences. We are to nurture their social-emotional development. We are there as their protectors that take notice to how they are responding to and in the environment. We are to secure an environment for them that is safe, loving, and gentle.
We are responsible for creating an environment that will captivate their imagination and love for learning. We must make sure that the environment allows each child to feel as sense of ownership and empowerment in what they learn and how they learn. This means that we have to be imaginative and creative. This means that our education is never complete, and that we as teachers have a responsibility to continue to learn, not just academically, but in all areas of our life so that we can enrich the lives of the children we serve. We have to have adventurous spirits. We have to come into the class with enthusiasm and joy. We have to make sure that we are on “watch” and get the full story behind the interactions of the children so that we are not quick to judge and label children. We have to set up systems for communication and arbitration. We have to work on their development of inner controls so that they have the tools necessary to engage successfully in not just the classroom, but in life.
Don’t ever think that a teacher’s job is stuffing academic curriculum down their throats and pray they can regurgitate the information to validate their learning. No! No! No! We have the opportunity to engage with children in their “whole” development- All 4 Domains of their being: Cognitively, Physically, Social-Emotionally and Spiritually. We cannot work with or for a child, until we learn first-hand who that child is and what that child needs in order to learn and be “Whole, healthy, and happy. What a privilege it is to be one of those “Called Servants in the Service of Children”. If you are called, it will be a life of fulfillment that cannot be expressed in words. It will be going to the mall and all of a sudden, a young person or a child comes up to you and hugs you and says, “Thank you so much for being my teacher”. It will be a parent seeing you at the grocery store and when they recognize you, they feel compelled to tell you, “Thank you so much for making a difference in the life of my child”! 40+ years later and I am still having the experience of my students remembering my contribution to their life. My cup runneth over! I am complete, but never finished working on their behalf.
