The obligation of kindness.
We're born with millions
Of little lights shining in the dark
And they show us the way
One lights up, every time you feel love in your heart
One dies when it moves away
Passenger - All the little lights (2012)
I find it really interesting that as educators we invest so much effort into our own academic degrees and focus so hard on teaching our subjects, and yet at times we forget that the most significant role that we play is in the formation of character and the nurturing of the human spirit. We teach people, not subjects - as the old saying goes. As much as a pupil in my Mathematics class may be learning about geometry (I hope), they are learning much more from my humanity in the way that I engage, they are developing self-esteem through the ways in which I recognise their unique self, and they build a picture of the world through the emphasis that I share.
That is not an over-estimation of our own importance - if one calculates the amount to time a child spends in school and the number of human interactions that they will experience in that time, we have to acknowledge 'school' as a significant socialising agent - and it is teachers that set the tone.
Education, then, is so much more than 'mere' grades - education opens minds and touches the heart - it creates a knowledge of the external world, the internal self, and engenders self-awareness.
Education is first about discovering the joy of learning, experiencing things that one would not ordinarily have experienced, and flourishing as an individual within a community. Education serves an instrumental purpose as a means-to-an-end, but this is very much a secondary consideration. What an extraordinary responsibility!
I am most aware of this awesome responsibility when I observe a young child, full of joy and with a sparkle in his or her eyes. Such a state is a blessing (that should never be taken for granted) that highlights the absolute sanctity of childhood. Our role as educators is to preserve that light - to introduce the child into the complexity of life without extinguishing that joy - and as a shepherd protects the flock from danger, our role is to shape discourse and experience in such a way that protects children from the incremental dimming of that light, or worse - it being extinguished and replaced by dark hurt or cynical indifference.
We should never under-estimate our power to do harm or good in a child's life. It may not seem like it when we are expecting compliance and endeavour, but our children observe more than we give them credit for - and hear our every word, spoken or otherwise.
The dulling cynicism borne of social media addiction, excessive gaming, and other dopamine stimulants dims that light to a cynical shadow. The cruelty, conditionality, or abusive behaviour of an adult can kill the spark, pixel by pixel. The coping mechanisms necessary to deal with bullying or toxic environments extinguishes the light in un-noticeable increments - and all of this may be playing out in the secret life of every child in every class that we teach. We have an obligation then, above all else, to be kind.
Kindness of spirit is not weakness and does not undermine discipline. Just as we hold the power to dim the inner-spark of our children, we hold the power to make it shine. Through recognition of our children's humanity, through compassion and kindness, through recognising the power of our words in the life of a child finding their way in the world and building their sense of self, and, especially, through the recognition of the fact that those in our care that need the most love often show their need for love in the most unlovable of ways, we are able to teach so much more than a 'mere' subject - and teach children. What an awesome responsibility!