Okay, Now Go Change the World!
When I try to distill all my years of teaching into a simple sound bite or idea—something upbeat to leave you with as you begin your teaching journey—what I come up with is that teaching, to me, means hope.
I remember my first day of student teaching English to tenth-graders. I was just a few years older than they were, I was pretty sure they would eat me alive, and I was scared to death. It’s a generally accepted (if not scientifically supported) fact that kids can smell fear like sharks smell blood in the water. But what helped me conquer my fear was hope—hope that I could help these kids, many of whom were disadvantaged. Hope that I could give them a safe space to learn, away from whatever problems they had outside of class. And hope that maybe I could inspire them to like reading and writing and expressing themselves, even just a little bit.
Teaching means hope not only for the students right in front of you, but also for the future. Teachers have a unique opportunity to have an impact on the world around them. They can help shape thought and influence future generations. They can be role models and set examples of being a positive force in a community. They can help a community be more interconnected. They can inspire. And teachers can be agents of extraordinary and powerful change.
Patrick McCollum told me:
You can change the world. I mean, many Pagans are concerned about many different aspects of the world we live in: pollution, the ecology, human rights, equal treatment, and pluralism…. Here is a place to walk your talk, to actually get in on the ground floor and do something to bring about the things you believe in.
Envision the world you want to live in. Envision a positive future for the Pagan community. Teaching can help make it a reality.
I don’t want to blow sunshine up your skirt here. If you teach, there will definitely be challenges. There will be situations that freak you out, make you cry, and maybe even make you question yourself and your purpose. But don’t let that stuff throw you. There will also be moments of gnosis and sublime beauty, epiphanies and breathtaking discoveries, and communion with the Divine.
Patrick McCollum commented to me on how when you’re working in tune with the Divine, the Divine tends to look out for you:
I would say that in our traditions teaching is a sacred thing, and I think that people who are interested in wanting to teach can put a lot of store in that—that the work they’re doing isn’t just work, it’s sacred, and that if they will give themselves over to that idea, they’ll not only shift and change for the better, the people they work with and help will too….
There seems to be a force that takes care of you and makes sure you’re okay if you put yourself in line with the sacredness. Our whole religion and spirituality is about that. That’s something that people really want to think about and really want to try to move into it as a priestess- or priesthood. Not so much “you have to be a high priest or priestess of a group” or something. Take it on as a walk on the sacred path. That’s what your particular sacred walk is going to be.
Teaching is a rich, rewarding way to align your spiritual beliefs deeply with your daily life and walk the path of your gods. And when you’re aligned and walking that path, you’re truly following your bliss. Remember that your work is vital and desperately needed by our community. And remember that as a teacher, you are an agent not only of learning but also of hope.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead