First day of class

I help others find their paths 

by walking my own authentically

Summer semester starts tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.  I always have a rough time sleeping the night  before so I have some concern about how difficult it is going to be to get out of bed when the alarm sounds. Even after 12 years I still get some butterflies when I walk into the room on the first day. I have fewer nightmares that involve me showing up to class half way through the semester, being unprepared, or sans clothing, but the nerves are still there as an indication of how much I care about teaching. 

I do not profess to know the best way to teach but I have learned a few things about what does not produce desired effects. Demanding, manipulating, forcing, pretending as if I have their answers, or mandating behavior. I think the only way I can effectively teach is by creating a safe place where I invite others to exercise their choices, experiment with the discomfort of trying new things and making mistakes. I create that safety by showing up and letting myself be seen. I have to walk the path of my own personal truths and model the vulnerability, passion, curiosity, and honesty that I expect from them. 

Showing up with that level of authenticity is a difficult work in progress for me. It is much easier to hide behind a textbook, a degree, or someone else's words. It gets a little easier to be authentic when I remember that learning is not something that comes by memorizing facts and figures but that it is the process of being able to see more of our world. I can see that this can only happen if we are already aware of where we are starting from. We are all on different paths and in different places, but we have so much to learn from each other when we are open and authentic. 

I recognize and honor each of you today- parents, leaders, teachers, neighbors -walking your path with authenticity who are open to others and helping them to find how to walk in their own truths by courageously walking your own.