Dear Teaching,
I love you. It has been XX years now, and every day we grow more and more together. You give me that feeling I had when I was young, when you learn something that captures your imagination and the world is full of promise. The feeling of learning something is simultaneously a feeling of freedom and a sense of interconnectedness with others. With teaching, I get to give this gift to so many others.
Learning is a joy. We can reach its delights on our own as individuals, but how wonderful it is to take someone’s hand and show them the way. This is the true joy of my time with you—I get to experience these moments at unexpected times, and they sustain me and keep me energized in my work.
A life spent learning is a life well lived. I love that my work allows me to learn and grow and question and consider. When my students teach me something, I let them know that and I thank them. I hope that it makes them more conscious of and grateful for their own growth.
Teachers need to take the time to think broadly about the work that we do. We are the descendants of Socrates and Confucius. Teachers are a child’s guide through a foreign and unfamiliar world. We help them explore. We are their map. Our work is important. Our work, like love, is eternal.
Yours Truly,
Cristina