Strange to say, but teaching is a
lot about taking off chains and unlocking locks. It’s not so much about me
making learning happen, but all of us – teacher and students – setting
ourselves free from self-imposed restrictions. It’s as if we walk into the
classroom confined in mental cages, and the correct task of each of us is to
simply open our doors. Seen in this way, learning is a little work and a lot of
delight. We might say it’s as satisfying as seeing prisoners set free. Over the
years of our lives, my young students and I have found ways to confine our
thoughts in close-fitting forms, and my classroom should be the place where freedom
is found – where thoughts can frolic instead of falling back into their plain,
customary patterns. Room 2 should be a stronghold of liberated thinking, a refuge
for free thinkers. There’s
enough captivity in the world without creating more in my classroom. A sign on
my door should say, “Enter, and set your thoughts free.”
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