Selflessness and Teaching
The older I get, and the more I teach, the more I realize that teaching (in its truest form) is a selfless act. I am not saying that all of us are selfless or that every moment we teach we are caring for the future, but I am talking about teaching in its ideal state--what I strive for as I develop as a teacher. I choose to give up my goals in life to help someone else reach theirs. Time I would spend writing my own short story I spend reading a student's essay. I choose to think less about what I want to do and more about what will most benefit my student. Today I had a kid walk out of my class. And the real kicker was that he waved his hand in front of my face as he was doing it. I don't know about other people, but I am a "no touchy" kind of person. I don't like people in my personal space, let alone in my personal space for a hostile reason. So the selfish part of me wanted to call him out in front of the whole class--to humiliate him and let everyone