It

One of my classes this semester has me placed with a cooperating teacher so that I may observe his work and teach at least two lessons in the classroom on my own. It's one of the core classes school counseling graduate students must take if they are pursuing certification in IL without already holding a teaching certificate.

Although I have done a lot of teaching, it has never been in a traditional classroom setting for a full year, etc. I find the work incredibly daunting and those who do it well terribly admirable.

In a twist of lucky fate (a blessing, really), I have been placed with an amazing teacher. Sometimes you can watch someone do something and think, "Wow. This person is doing just what he/she was meant to do." They've found their it—whatever that may be.

I felt that way when I saw Ani DiFranco perform live. I felt that way when I saw Dr. Harrawood, one of my profs, share some of her counseling skills in class (she has since moved on to Idaho State... great for them, but very sad for us). I feel that way every time I have a class with Dr. Asner-Self (another prof who is still, thankfully, at SIUC). Or when I read the writings of my fellow Neo-Futurists, or hear my brother playing percussion, or watch my husband working on a play at any stage of the process.

My cooperating teacher displays a similar sort of passion, expertise, and inspired ability in the classroom. And so it's rather wonderful to read about all the things that make a teacher effective—and then see it right there in front of me in action (with middle school students, who can be quite a challenge to reach sometimes). What a gift!

What teachers do is incredibly difficult. And those who are truly excellent at their jobs are one of the greatest assets we have. We entrust quite a bit to them when we send our youth into their care for instruction and molding. Those who honor that trust and give their fullest effort in the hopes of making a positive difference in the lives of their students deserve the very deepest of respect.

If you know what your it is, I salute you. (I envy you.) And I hope it brings you immense joy and fulfillment for a long, long time.

Inheritance

What is the legacy left to you by your family? What are the messages and values they passed down to you? Family dinners, tv shows, walks and trips and vacations, jokes and anecdotes, personal stories of triumph and tribulation... were there secret messages? Overt instructions? Did they emphasize hatred, acceptance, or fear?

I've been thinking a lot lately about what my family (its many members on both sides through multiple generations) comminicated to me about who to trust and who to avoid... who to love and who to dismiss... who to honor... what assumptions to make... how to think of myself... how to define other.

We all receive messages - some overt and some covert. Secret missives, clear coaching, winks or nods or soapbox speeches laden with heavy and charged words. And then we go out into the world and begin to pave our individual path with its own tangents and complexities and twinings; we decide which lessons to ignore and which to embrace, which to pass on and which to ensure goes no further. It's an incredible responsibility, and something worth being mindful of.

What did your family teach you? What endures? What persists despite your efforts at eradication? What has been truly left behind?