The Hand on the Shoulder

Over the years of teaching, I kept looking over my shoulder.  I half expected to feel a hand there, and a voice saying, “Hey, I know you!  What are you doing here as a teacher?  Why, you don’t know what you are doing….”  Then I would be dragged out of the classroom, to the dismay and amazement of my students.

I did know what I was doing.  I did know everything was based on standards and learning principles.  

 What I was depending on was the creativity to bridge the gap from the standards dictated by law to how my students would learn them.  So much depended on what I saw in the student, how I could take that and use it, and return it to him as a learn-able product.  Basically, I was teaching “on my feet”.  Thinking quickly.  Grabbing ideas out of the air. 

But, then, I think we all do that whatever the job or calling.  Parents do it all the time.  We get this tiny crying baby, and go with the flow.  We understand diapers and feedings, no problem.  

 But, what to do when all sorts of things happen, well, that is a gray area.  What do we do when our seven-year old daughter gives sassy, eye-rolling comments?  What do we do when one child lies, out-right lies to us?  What do we do when we break up a sibling fight, where the clarity is non-existent?

Some would grab the video camera, film it, and send it to America’s Funniest Videos.  

 Maybe they will win $10,000.  

 Or, maybe we parents have to think “on our feet”.  Do we rely on what our parents did in similar situations?  In some cases, oh-please-God-help-me, no we don’t.  In others, perhaps we do.

Maybe we all live this way, looking over our shoulder, waiting for someone to tell us that we don’t know what the heck we are doing.  But, I think that at this point, I can shrug off the hand, and say, “Wanta bet?”