“He hath … a hand
Open as day …”
--
Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2
It’s a joy to be a generous teacher, one
who helps the whole world be better by simply bringing all the gifts he has to
his students. It’s a simple thing,
really -- just setting out what I have and letting my students help
themselves. I have no money to share, no
fancy frills or uncommon abilities or glamorous wisdom -- just the small gifts
the universe gave me and which I give again to my students. I have the gift of assiduously attending to what a person is saying, the gift
of speaking the truth in a sympathetic way, the simple gift of kindness -- and these gifts I openhandedly
hand over to the students in each class. I wish I had more to offer – more to
make my classes electrifying and brimful of cheerfulness for the children – but
the best I can do is be myself. I am just a softhearted 70-year-old searcher
for truth who took to the road of teaching 47 years ago and is still walking,
still watching for wisdom about how to do this wonderful work. All I can do
is just be as “open as day” and donate what I have, all my meager but maybe useful gifts, to my students – and it’s my privilege to do so day after happy day.
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