I am the windA teaching metaphor by Erin Eubank

(please turn on your sound to hear the audio!)

I am the wind…

I can be a gentle breeze that guides students where they need to go.

I can give them the small push they need to get started, a small boost of encouragement and motivation.

Or I can be a force of destruction, a tornado of harsh words and criticism.

Knocking students down, and leaving them on the ground to struggle against my tirade of assignments and unrealistic expectations.

I am the wind,

And I can either gently guide them down a path of success, or be a cold and harsh force that makes them feel it is impossible to go anywhere in life.

How many years

I am a mountain…

When students look at me they can see a majestic wealth of knowledge . If I show them how to work together, they can navigate the trails of learning and collaboration to arrive at the summit of learning.

Or I can be a daunting and unmovable obstacle. I can assign so much homework that students feel they will never make it to the top, so why even start? I can teach them that the only way to make it is in isolation, constantly competing with their peers. With no sharing of resources, only a select few would be able to make it.

I am a mountain, and I can either show students how to work together, or isolate them and leave them fending for themselves.

Can a teacher exist

I am the tide…

Over the years I will uncover many objects and wash them on the shore. Admittedly, not all will look like treasure. Some will be jagged and rough, and some will have layers of moss and seaweed hiding their true beauty. But I can be persistent, and by never giving up I can smooth out the edges and turn a jagged rough object into a beautiful piece of sea glass.

Or I can be impatient, and refuse to see beyond the surface. And instead of trying to work with disgruntled or difficult students, and seeing the reasons for their behavior, I can continue to toss them around and bury them deep in the sand.

I am the tide, and I can uncover the goodness in all students, or work against them and deepen their beliefs that school is an unwelcoming place.

Before they realize the impact they have

I am a flame…

Through the careful selection of firewood and kindle, I can produce a fire that burns bright and powerful. The wood needs to be arranged in a certain way to produce the desired effect. My resources need to be thoughtfully planned out, or the spark will never ignite. Planning is essential to light the path of learning for my students.

Or I can ignore planning and just wing it. I may end up with wood that is wet, or may I not have enough. Maybe my flame will burn without control and turn into a wildfire, not leaving any time or energy for other units.

I am a flame, and I can either burn strong and controlled, or be a chaotic and unpredictable guide for my students.

The answer my friend

I am the sky…

I can allow students to see an endless ceiling of potential ahead of them. By giving them timely feedback and pointing out what they did right instead of wrong, they will feel that the whole world is open to them.

Or else I can close them off from success by being too quick to point out their flaws. When students look at their work all they will see is clouds and rain and everything they did wrong.

I am the sky. I can choose to focus on the sunshine poking through the clouds, or I can make it rain and wash away all their attempts at success.

Is blowing in the wind

I am the wind…

Years from now when my students are long gone, they will hear my words as a whisper through the trees. My influence will last, even when the days of desks and tests and bells are over. I am the wind, and it is my choice to decide what my students will hear.

The answer is blowing in the wind

Music by Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ in the Wind”

Images found on google