Teaching, Metaphorically Speaking

     When I envision myself teaching at my best, I am like the tortoise from the classic children’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.  It will be most important for me to remember the moral of that classic tale; Slow and steady wins the race. This motto correlates with a good teacher’s disposition on so many levels. It is imperative that my effort toward each lesson remains steady. The tortoise is a much slower animal, but every step he takes is well planned and devoted to reaching his goal of the finish line. Every move in the classroom needs to be one in the forward direction. If that means moving at a slower rate than had been desired, then so be it. If, as a teacher, the lesson moves along too quickly and leaves a group of students behind, then I have really only lost time and gained no distance toward the encompassing goal.
     There was never a question, in the story, who is the faster runner. However, there is no benefit of having speed if there is no direction. Temptations will be vast to slip into the role of the hare as he seems to have the clear advantage, which is the shadow side of the tortoise. If I become over confident with my students’ abilities or my own, I will be tempted to speed up the pace of a unit and perhaps become ‘unsteady’, or less structured with each lesson. With moving at a faster pace, I will surely end up compromising effective assessment of both the students’ comprehension and the effectiveness of my lesson.  In some variations of the classic, the hare is depicted as arrogant.  This is one of the worst traits of a teacher for several reasons. If a teacher becomes arrogant, there is an increased risk that they will treat their students as if they are inferior to them.  Also, an arrogant teacher will think they have a handle on everything when they really can never. Things in the classroom are ever changing and a teacher needs to continually assess and adapt. A great teacher is he who understands there is and always will be room for improvement.