What I Know to be True: Indulgence

What I Know to be True: Indulgence

by Joanne L. Emery

I’m not sure it’s because I’ve been teaching for forty-six years or that I’ve been at my present school for twenty-one years, or that I will be just one year short of seventy in April, but I have always found delight in teaching.  Children never vex me like they did when I first started teaching.  Sure, I worry about them, but it isn’t that intense worry of a new mother – it is more an ease of understanding.  I know they will grow, they will get there, and my fretting will not make their struggles any easier.  I keep thinking that there will be a time when I will be tired of this teaching thing.  But it never comes.  In fact, it has deepened my resolve.  I have no intention of retiring.  I’m having too much fun with these little bundles of energy, curiosity, and joy.  Their enthusiasm is contagious.  They teach me so much every day.  They give me more than I can ever give them.  They lift me up and hold my hand, and ask me questions, and always want to know why, why, why. They have not lost their inquisitive spirit of the world, and I hope that they never do.  

One day last week, I was working with a succession of little girls on a succession of challenges: reading, composing a story, forming letters correctly, and understanding a math problem. We worked side-by-side with me coaching and applauding every step of the way. I love seeing their smiling faces at the end of a hard task.  They are so proud of themselves. Now, I am like an indulgent grandmother who inspires wonder and kindles their crazy dreams.  This is what teaching is all about. For me, it wasn’t so much about step-by-step curriculum followed in a precise order. For me, it was about the students’ interests.  What were they passionate about?  What did they want to find out more about? I spent years facilitating child-led projects: story quilts, human machines, painting like Picasso, building bridges, longhouses, tunnels, Indian temples, and exploring anything that caught a student’s attention.  These kinds of indulgences is what I think is at the heart of teaching.  We know that it is this focus on what children love to do that makes them become lifelong learners. This is true engagement.

My time now as a learning specialist is spent sitting with children and watching how they learn. I quietly give them strategies, and often they are surprised that those strategies work.  Mostly, I sit and listen intently.  I am fortunate that I have the time to spend with these children, and that we can share love of story.  I can see where they may stumble and lend a helping hand.  They always reach out and take it.  They want to learn.  They want to be seen, heard, and accepted. Sometimes, they just need to be shown a different path or need to show us a different way.  These are the times in which  I delight. These are times I indulge curious minds.  Now it’s my turn to  ask them, “Why, why, why?’  We learn together, and this something certainly to be celebrated. 

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Joanne Emery wordancerblog.com

Poet, photographer, artist, and learning specialist, Joanne has encouraged children to use their imaginative powers for over forty years.  She has hope that this new generation will live peacefully and creatively.