At one point, (I will try to be as non-spoiler as possible), two characters are discussing a third who has done some unbelievably horrific things. parson A says the baddy is beyond forgiveness. Person B is unsure. Pern A replies with a comment on just how horrible the baddy has been and then Person B says this:
People are vessels. They hold whatever is poured into them.I actually went back to reread the passage.
Then I wrote it down.
Then I spent the next days thinking about it, this idea, and all it implies.
I thought about it as a parent: my children hold what I pour into them. My love, my frustration, my effort and time, my criticism. They are vessels.
Then I thought about my other kids: my students. (Since they are my kids too). What is poured into them, for better or worse, is what they bring with them the next day. It is what shapes the decisions they make, the homework they do, the emotions they carry. And it is entirely outside of their control. Someone else is doing the pouring, the students are only the vessels.
Which then made me think about the teachers. We pour. We pour our hopes and help and knowledge into kids, but also our frustrations and fears and stress, no matter how hard we try not to.
But we are also vessels.
We get poured into by parents.
And other teachers.
And administrators.
And board members.
And the media.
And school shooters.
And the department of education.
And the state board of education.
And the public.
So educators, are vessels that hold what is poured into us.
The criticism.
The contempt.
The blame.
The "summers off" comments.
The implications of shirked duties and laziness.
The being treated like incompetent fools instead of trained professionals.
The micromanaging.
The public comments. The private comments. The Facebook comments.
And we have to take all of it, and set it aside and do our jobs anyway. And be conscious that we pour only the good into our students.
It is a good thing that teachers are kind, compassionate, and generous. They are smart and highly trained. They are dedicated, creative, and hardworking. They will go to any lengths to help their students learn, grow, and flourish.
And we take all of that and pour it into our students.
Because they hold whatever is poured into them. And the responsibility of that is too great to get wrong.
