In my new context it feels like I have entered another world. In stark comparison to my upbringing, and how circumstances and context shaped me to be innovative and creative and make a plan in some incredibly challenging situations, I am now meeting more and more of the mindset “someone else must make a plan for me”. “Someone else must do the work”, “Someone else must provide the answers”, “Someone else must spoon-feed me whilst I do the least amount of work possible”, “The responsibility is not mine”, “Someone else is to blame”, “It was their fault, it is their fault, it is not my fault” (like passing the buck is going to solve anything or help anyone – so annoying!) … on and on and on it appears to be entering my space; especially in my teaching role where learners want marks for doing barely anything (for example: I’m talking about learners using a calculator to do their two times table!), people want more pay and rewards for doing less work, people want the system to change (often to help them to do less work), but want other people to action it and make it change whilst they just go on and on and on talking, moaning and grumbling about it… and physically doing to make change happen.
After much prayer in my frustration and lack of capacity to spoon feed the academic and practical needs of dozens and dozens of learners, God sent me a very practical image and when I went about demonstrating the vision to some of my learners, the effect was quite something: There were lights starting to twinkle in their understanding, if only for a moment. A seed of thought has at least been planted.
In case it may assist someone else, the image was of a torch.
I placed the torch on a classroom desk, pointing upwards.
I then asked the learners: “Right, is the desk giving the torch its light?” The response was “No.”
“Am I, the ‘important’ teacher, giving the torch the power to shine?” No, again.
“Is the learner closest to the torch giving it the power to shine?” No.
“Is all of your joint power giving the torch the power to shine?” No.
And so on with regards to sunlight, chairs, etc, depending on the level of the learners.
“Ok, so none of this is giving the torch the power to shine. So what is then?”
“Ah, ma’am, it’s the batteries! The batteries are giving it its power!”
“Correct! You are like this torch boys and girls. I am not going to make you shine, I can’t give you the power to shine, you have to do it on your own. Your parents can’t, your friends can’t, you have to choose to use your own batteries to shine. You have to find good things to charge your batteries with so that your light can shine bright and strong, no matter what darkness comes along.”
The voices were quiet, but the eyes showed me they got it, some seniors even let out a huge breath and gave a “Sh-oe”…
I carried on. I turned the torch off and asked them what was happening. “The light is off Ma’am.”
I turned it on, “And now?”
“It’s on Ma’am.”
I repeated this a few times.
Then I concluded with: “Some of you are walking around completely switched off, please stop it. Please choose to charge your batteries in good places, on good energy and turn your light on: be aware, find the joy inside you, find the creativity, responsibility and awesomeness that live inside you and please choose to let them shine out to light up your lives and the lives of others. Please choose to walk around switched on.”
novel1eishlondon 