Yesterday I had a wonderful day of teaching, and I have no idea why. In fact, when I told a friend about my good day and he asked what caused the success, I was at a complete loss for a reply. “Just good luck?” he asked, and I smiled and nodded. Somehow, some way, the forces of the Universe swirled around yesterday in such a manner as to cause exceptional waves of good teaching and learning to roll through Room 2 at Pine Point School. It’s a marvelous (and somewhat intimidating ) truth to ponder – that I have no understanding whatsoever of exactly how effective teaching comes about. Yes, it surely has something to do with careful planning and skilled execution, but that’s like saying a gorgeous rainbow has something to do with a rain shower. Of course it does, but what caused the shower? And what caused the innumerable conditions that interacted with the rain to form the rainbow? And what caused the causes of those conditions? If you go back far enough in the search for causes, you come, eventually, to the vastness of infinity – the endless and mighty Universe which causes everything. (And what causes the Universe?!) The truth about yesterday is that awe-inspiring things happened in my classroom in the same way that stupendous sunsets occasionally happen. When I’m enjoying a sunset, can I say that I caused it? Of course not, and no more can I say I caused the good learning that happened in Room 2. It just happened, the way sunsets, storms, rainbows, and beautiful days happen. I’m just happy I was, by sheer good fortune, there to be a part of it all.