What just happened!

Imagination

Teachers teach because they love what they do and have the heart to make a difference in the life of an incredible human being.  The hope they hold for this human being gives them the energy to rise each morning, to find strength and overcome the long hours of thinking, stressing, working, planning, talking and, giving. 

There is rarely any doubt about the intention of a teacher, it certainly isn't about the money. It is about the student they face each day.  The desire to understand them, to inspire them, and give them the tools they need to be successful in life.  The core of teachers is, in fact, incredibly loving, giving, well-meaning souls who want to make a difference.  Teachers have a huge impact on the lives of students.

Students often remember a teacher who was able to ‘make things come to life’!  It wasn’t necessarily about the subject itself but rather the connection with the adventure of knowing.

A teacher who can give space to students to imagine has the greatest impact on a learner.  That’s because humans are born with an imagination that is magnificent and miraculous, it is the most inconceivable force the world has ever known.  It is what creates life, purpose, desire.  It’s what inspires the mind to think, feel, see and explore. It provides a purpose for intuition, the creation of things yet un-thought of.  When a student has the desire then they have the energy to do what they set out to do.

There are many students in my own time of teaching who were exactly this bundle of powerful, longing balls of energy who were keen to be shown the way to greater things.  Reflecting, I can honestly say that even though my intentions were pure, and I worked myself to the core for the love of teaching there was something robbing me and my students from realising the power of inspiration and trusting its ability to lead each student into success.

I now know, when you work from the place of imagination magic happens.

If you believe this then don’t you think that most of our kid's learning could, in fact, be even better than what we could create for them in our plans?  Is it possible that all the hours of planning we do is, in fact, not only draining the energy out of us but also draining the energy out of our kids? 

Maybe? I am not saying that this is the case, but in my personal experience I’ve crafted detailed, well thought out plans that often get forgotten in the moments of inspiration, and being the teacher I am, I get drawn down the pipeline of enthusiasm and excited by the energy of inspired students.  I go back to my plan and think, “How am I going to explain what just happened in my class?  That didn’t cover my curriculum goals as I thought it should”.  So, what do I do? I spend more time filling in details about what happened and how this provided rich learning opportunities for my students.  If this happens too often you lose track of what you should be doing and can’t justify progress so it’s a bit of hit and miss reporting.  Confession time!

Without a lie, the most enjoyable moments in teaching was when I started the day with a 30-minute inquiry where we talked about anything the kids were thinking about.  It was totally random, almost unintentional but the end results were incredible. The energy in the room was swirling with enthusiasm and one idea lead to another.  Of course we had to stop and start the day with the “important” stuff.  But by this time we all knew we had completed the most worthwhile learning of the day. That happiness, freedom, and contentment built a pretty close bond between us all. 

What often gets in the way of a teacher’s potential is the enormous amounts of paperwork that needs to be completed to prove they are capable producers of perceived success.  This is the tricky part because, surely there must be regulation, accountability, proof of success, and justification of a teacher’s wage?  Sure, I’ll think a little more about that and get back to you#:-)

Learn More

Your comments are always welcome.  Link