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Witnessing

     There’s always a bittersweet feeling after Spring Break.  At this time, as a teacher, I fully realize that it’s all downhill from here.  April quickly turns to May and summer is upon us. 

     I reach back to August of last year…the room was fresh, the air warm, and the novelty for the kids was abound.  Methodically time marches along and I find myself sitting in an empty classroom early this morning.  The desks are all in their proper places, the morning works sits idly on top of the desks waiting to be completed.  The floor is clean and the wastepaper baskets are empty.  Silence permeates the room.  All of this, of course, will change dramatically quite soon as the students arrive and they bring with them much.   

     Twenty-one individuals…each have a story to tell of their own.  Each one has a plethora of emotions that follow them through their days.  They have aspirations, inspirations, and frustrations.  Seeking a place amongst their peers while simultaneously deciding who and what they are to be in relation to each situation.  They realize, more often these days, that they are influential on their environment…and with that knowledge they experiment…testing to see the effects…all the while keeping in mind the lessons that their parents have taught them thus far.  They seek friendships, acceptance, and a place to call their own amongst the crowd.  They endure peer pressures, school pressures, social pressures, and self-imposed pressures.  They grow, just a bit, each day.
     
     My goal as a teacher is to have my students be able to “get along without me”…to be independent learners responsible for themselves and the community at large.  To this end we work diligently on the required skills to achieve this goal.  Temperance in ‘letting go” must be adhered to as I must keep in mind that after all, they are still kids…they will still need guidance, support, and a place to turn.

     Teaching and parenting continues to parallel each other more and more the longer I am engaged in both.  It’s bittersweet to watch my own (personal) kids grow up as they are; dealing with all that comes with childhood.  We all know that we would do anything for our own children…I see that quite often as a teacher…I have learned from my witnessing.  It truly does take a village to raise a child.
     Less than two months to go and then I must let them fly free from my “nest”; onward and upward.  They really have grown since that first day in August…and so have I.

Mr. Casten
April 10, 2015
Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

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