"Give back what you've learned.
Share your experience."
As a teacher, as a part of any relationship, I have always striven to share fully. Doing so often leaves me exhausted and, oddly, filled with self-doubt. There are people in my life who told me, even before I became one, that I would be a natural teacher. But I have learned that, while teaching certainly takes an abundance of patience, it also requires a confidence I have never possessed. My students always know I'm just as vulnerable as they are. That's dangerous for all of us, even though the vulnerability is what makes any learning possible in the first place. While the unreserved generosity is good, it leaves me powerless if stretched to its outer limits. For now, I can seek refuge in my writing, and in my efforts to hone other skills; but, having been brought face to face with the weaknesses of my teaching, I may find these other things not a refuge but a means of survival.
Share your experience."
As a teacher, as a part of any relationship, I have always striven to share fully. Doing so often leaves me exhausted and, oddly, filled with self-doubt. There are people in my life who told me, even before I became one, that I would be a natural teacher. But I have learned that, while teaching certainly takes an abundance of patience, it also requires a confidence I have never possessed. My students always know I'm just as vulnerable as they are. That's dangerous for all of us, even though the vulnerability is what makes any learning possible in the first place. While the unreserved generosity is good, it leaves me powerless if stretched to its outer limits. For now, I can seek refuge in my writing, and in my efforts to hone other skills; but, having been brought face to face with the weaknesses of my teaching, I may find these other things not a refuge but a means of survival.
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