Teaching for the Adult My Student Will Be

A former student returns to speak extemporaneously and bestow award given in his honor.

When I’m stuck, I ask myself - often aloud so my students can see what it’s like for a grown woman to experience a quandary - what is the right thing to do. If that doesn’t help, I weigh - again aloud, both for modeling and company - the consequences of my potential actions. I’m a big believer in showing what it means to be a person, flawed and fallible, in the world.

However, there are times when I keep my own counsel. When a decision relates to the essential part of a student, I consider what kind of adult I hope they become. This is why I understand teaching to be “legacy-level” work. These people will be making decisions about my healthcare one day, not to mention the condition of park benches. If I want them to be critical thinkers with compassionate hearts, I have the power to influence that development.

I have a vested interest in my students’ futures because they’ll play a vital role in determining mine.