Tag: thoughts

Quote of the Week

Words of Wisdom

I came across the following quote while teaching the other day. It was on a G4 classroom wall. Staggering really to think that in three hundred and twenty odd years since so little has seemingly changed.  

Go placidly amongst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself to others you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and in whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Found in old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore  

Dated 1692

 

Why I left teaching

Looking back, as with most things when you look back far enough, you start to second guess yourself. But I remember very clearly the main reason I left teaching and went searching for something different. 

 Looking back, as with most things when you look back far enough, you start to second guess yourself. But I remember very clearly the main reason I left teaching and went searching for something different. 

Shortly after my 26th birthday I woke up one morning and thought I could see my future. At that time, teaching at The British School in Manila, I loved what I was doing. But the thought of doing the same thing for the next 39 years filled me with a sense of foreboding that I couldn’t shake. I wasn’t ready to dedicate my life to anyone thing at 26. A sure sign the 26 year old was going on 16 – but still I  felt the need to do something else for a while. I didn’t want to be one of those teachers for whom retirement can’t come quickly enough. 

If you read my bio you would quickly understand I was one of those young adults who had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives. If you read my P.E. thesis you would also see that I wasn’t what you would call studious, thoughtful or particularly eloquent. But I have always been brave, I think, or foolish depending on your point of view. And occasionally I’ve also had moments of clarity (not often granted) and  knowing I was not equipped for the next 39 years in a classroom I left. 

What I did for the next 15 years or so isn’t important (photography) but the result of that time away from the classroom gave me insights in to who I am and what I want from life. It is odd to think I am now more thoughtful, studious and ahem, eloquent than I ever was. And it is also more than a little odd that given all this introspection over the last few years the conclusion I have come to is I want to be a teacher once again. 

My history teacher, a marvellous man called Warwick Brookes, once told us that history was like a wheel. It would seem he was, as with so many things, right again as I find myself returning towards a life as an educator.