Learning is supposed to be fun, filled with imagination and discovery. Teaching is supposed to be rewarding, helping young minds and heart bloom and grow. Shining your light creates a joyful radiance that illuminates an exponential number of dark corners.
The truth? Learning can be full of angst. The student could hit a plateau of boredom on which everything feels flat and stale. Or the student could be facing a vertical cliff that seems impossible to climb. Everything is fine when the learning is easy, but the moment things get tricky, the student wants to give up in despair. “I’ll never get this right! I’ll never get good at this!”
The truth? Teaching can be a wasteland of frustration. Students want to go directly to mastery, without putting in the hard work of doing something they aren’t really good at yet. Children can be like babies who want to roll over and walk, without crawling or cruising or falling down. Teachers know the futility of such desires. Yet they are often at a loss for how encourage children to embrace the messiness of the learning process—at least I am.
The best teachers create a learning atmosphere that is like the room in which a child takes her first steps. Grownups cheer when a toddler stumbles into a open space between a sofa and a chair, and they applaud when he stumbles. The teachers who shine their light of encouragement on mistakes and mastery alike have the most joyful students.
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