Committed Conversations

As a teacher one must incorporate Compassion in their action if they are to be successful whether they call it that or not. This is one reason that I have always said that Teaching must be a calling before it is a profession. This calling has to be that the individual is willing to take up the mantle of constant, or near constant, evaluation of their motivations in interfacing with the student in such an intimate level-teaching, learning, are intimate activities. We must understand and fathom, to a degree that we are capable from natural ability, our reasoning, our actions, for, in my job, I have seen the outcomes of this if it is not done. I work with the students that have been the victims of a hollow, inattentive, adult world both with teachers and without. And it is a sorrow that is difficult to witness day in and day out let alone year in and year out. My students die. Murdered, drug overdose, etc. And all of these children, each and every one of them was that cute little cherub, they are still pure children beneath the patina of experience, but they are labeled with the Scarlet Letter of class, race, previous actions (which were caused by previous an effects).

These children are the extreme examples of what can happen without love, without affection, by direct engagement of the ideas of best practice. We have known for ages what are best practices, in a book I am reading right now called Brain Rules it states explicitly in scientific studies on effective teachers i.e. empathy. The best way to teach is through positive and safe relationship building i.e. trust. And these are just, to me, branches on an overall tree that include Love and Compassion. In the Buddhist tradition these are explained as thus; Love: May the Other have Every Joy (and may I be a catalyst to them achieving it) Compassion: May the Other be safe from every harm (and May I be a catalyst to their safety). The Other is a teaching on the exchange of self and other for, it is logically incorrect to posit an ‘I’ anywhere, it is just an aggregate, and if it is an aggregate then how come it cannot be an aggregate made up of all people, of all sentient beings?

I ask all people, and especially teachers, interfaces with our children, to understand their awesome calling. To heal the world. To faithfully, to honestly, believe that this can be done, and that it is done with each challenge, with each students, with each interaction with the great Other that is I. It must be done. We must understand that without Compassion our education systems won’t work, that they become a testing ground to see who can find these ultimate achievements of; caring, loving, compassionate, competent, educated adults (an education is not a tool to find a job; it is a tool to find meaning in one’s life that a job is one aspect. We forget this, I think, and that is why even our wealthier students are struggling in the ultimate calling of the Human-meaning. They achieve what we have said will bring them happiness but we see that it does not. That it is another lie we foisted on them. To take the tool and make it the purpose, but no carpenter ever said the hammer is the reason for his skill set).

I have been trying to get this conversation off of the ground. To speak to parents about their children and how to help navigate them through the school system with the purpose of the child intact. But it has been hard. My students primarily have no parents or ones that are not capable of attending these meetings. Perhaps, we could start something here. I would love the input on how to do it. I would love it to be free, to be neighborhood oriented, and for all children wealthy and not alike, for I think, as I have state above, we have abandoned all of them. I want the parents to hear it from a ‘professional’ that their children are wonderful, that they are not bad, and they can achieve, but as parents we have to set the example correctly in what to achieve. I wanted to call it Compassionate Education: Meaning for our Students Journey.

Be well Guru Dorje

Guru Dorje,

You sound like a great teacher. Listening to your words, I remember my music teacher in middle school. I was the last chair (meaning the worst player) in a group of 30 budding clarinetists in the 6th grade. That was a tough time, because I was so depressed that I did not take showers and would come to school with dirty hair (my parents didnt seem to notice). I was being sexually abused by my grandfather or the memory of it was very present (that’s a bit foggy) and did not have many friends.

I remember my music teacher, Mr. Quattlebaum. He would tell me that he believed that one day I would be a professional clarinetist and that meant a lot to me. I also remember walking into the music room after a frightening call with a tornado and him giving me a big hug. His care helped me to be more interested in music and the language of music made me a much more creative person and capable of adapting to new situations.

I’ve had trouble reaching mothers for a beginning new support group that I’ve started…one person suggested a pot luck dinner to get them together. Parents have so many economic deterants from gathering. So, I think food would help..maybe a local buisness would donate gas cards or transit cards (that might really help). Also, activities that are inclusive of children so that they don’t have to get childcare for young kids might help.

Why are there so few posts on this site…it is wonderful…I hope the traffic picks up!

Peace be with you, Carol