Hea(rt)d (aka Heart within the Head): A Reflection from Teacher Johanna Manuel

Carl Jung and William Arthur Ward, two famous and respected people in their fields, came to mind while I was watching The Chorus. Jung said, "One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings." Ward, on the other hand, said, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

It's actually funny how I came across those lines, and I can say that they couldn't have come during a more opportune time. I only just graduated, and thoughts of incompetence and inadequacy flooded my head since I didn't graduate with honors (I could have, but that's another story altogether). My dad gave me an inspirational book for teachers as a graduation gift.

Reading the book reminded me why I want to be a teacher in the first place. It's not about being the smartest person in the room. I want to be a teacher not because I need to prove myself (or my intellectual capacity); I want to be a teacher because I want to touch other people's lives and inspire them.

While it's true that teachers need to have a good grasp of their content areas since the blind cannot possibly lead the blind, it is also important to note that intellectual capacity alone cannot guarantee one's effectiveness as a teacher. Teachers are not talking books, in the same way that students are not walking report cards. 

Mathieu's students loved him not because he was extremely talented, intelligent or highly knowledgeable. He could have been the next Mozart, Bach, or Einstein, yet the students couldn't have cared less. They loved him because of his capacity to understand and accept them as they are despite their seemingly incorrigible disregard for authority.

I can relate with Mathieu since based on experience, students remember just how big your heart is. Yes, they can recall how you misspelled or mispronounced a word (and remind you about them to lovingly tease you), but all those faults pale in comparison to how you spent time to listen to them and just be there for them.

While I do get flattered when my students tell me I'm smart or intellectual, I would still rather be remembered as someone who touches and changes people's lives just by being there for them.