Keep Calm and Shoot Straight

A Blog for Teachers
by Mary Jean Powers

I showed the video, engaged kinesthetic learning, dramatized the story, explained the application, sang the song, created the chart, and left a red mark or two on his worksheet. I taught the same thing a hundred different ways.

Nothing. Blank stare.

Was he losing confidence?

Was I?

And then, when every tool in the box had been implemented and every angle exhausted … when our defeated and depleted brains were drained … the light went on.

Just like that.

“Suddenly” he got it and it was written all over his face!

The clouds parted. The planets aligned. The angels sang. The unicorn glided beneath the rainbow.
And all was well with the world. All was well.

My heart never tires of that instant when all at once there’s a flash in the eye, a tilt of the head, a guttural noise unmatched by any other. It clicks. He knows it. I know it.

I don’t know who is prouder: him of himself, or me of him!

Those are some of the moments teachers live for.

Until information becomes revelation, no opportunity exists for application. It’s got to click or we can’t follow through, we can’t move forward.

So of course, we maximize “the moment.” We celebrate, we congratulate, we pull others into the dance, we high-five. YES!!! Exhilaration escorts us immediately into application. We reinforce. We give him a platform on which he can SHINE! We nudge him out in front, and he broadcasts his newfound discovery.

He. Gets. It.
“And the crowd goes wild!”

It was worth the prep. It was worth the stretch. The tears were even worth it. The sleepless nights, the consultations. The process was worth it.

Now he knows what I have known all along: He can do this.

And if he can do This … then he can do That.

What’s his name? You know him. He’s one of yours.

Hang in there.

He’s worth it.

About Keep Calm and Shoot Straight

I am a teacher. You, too? I hope you love the profession as much as I do! I was 16 when I got my first teaching gigs – I had 20 private piano students and a Sunday School class of 4 and 5-year olds! At that point in my “career,” my definition of teacher was very limited. But now – after 45+ years of experience – I have come to realize that teacher can mean many different things. I’d like to share some of those insights with you! My posts will range from quotes to prayers, from cartoons to words of wisdom. Much of my teaching experience has been international, so you'll get to watch some video stories from around the globe. Jesus is the best Teacher I know, so I will be including Him in this blog, as well. I hope my thoughts and my story will encourage, provoke, and inspire you to become the teacher you’ve been created to be!

For comments, email maryjean@getthewordout.cc
 

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