I start each day with reading Seth Godin’s Blog. Sometimes they are short and sweet and provide me with insight, excitement and the encouragement to do a better job today, than I did yesterday. Sometimes they are rather long and I find myself skimming them for catch phrases that I can use in my world of education.  On Christmas Day, as I was waiting for the rest of the Bruyns Bunch to wake up and enjoy the day, Seth’s Blog ~ Learning How to See,  not only resonated with me, it provided me with the inspiration for this post for my own blog.

The ability to see is what sets us apart. We all possess the same tools (a university education, access to supplies, technology); we all are blessed with the same raw products (a class full of eager learners), we all want to do what is right and yet some of us have the ability to not only teach, but to see the endless possibilities of inspiring children to want to learn.  Teaching and learning are two very different actions.

Today in education, one can easily see many negatives such as the current labour relations, the poverty that many of our families deal with, an apathy for education on the part of some parents, a lack of funding and competition with a technologically-entertaining world (XBox, Ipads,Wii etc.). For those who can’t see beyond those negatives, they settle and use phrases such as, “We are doing the best that we can under these circumstances” or “If only we had more of this or less of that, we could make a difference”.

But for those true educators, for those who are brave and determined, they see possibilities at each turn. And even though I know that they are working tremendously hard to continue to hone their craft; what others see is their love of learning, their love of inspiring others, their love of making the impossible seem possible ~ not only for themselves but for the children who are blessed to be in their classes.

Those teachers who see the possibilities in each of their students allow their students to see the endless possibilities that an education and a passion for learning can bring them.

Thank you to those teachers who continue to inspire me to see the endless possibilities of leadership within education.