Enough is enough!
Teachers and students are going back to school. There is still uncertainty about so many things, and an underlying, pervasive feeling of fear. When we are in fear, we may armor up for the perceived battle ahead, and then, strategically try to control all outcomes. We may run away and hide or shut down because we feel we cannot handle or control all outcomes. We are human, and this is our fight our flight response.
When we feel like we are not enough, don't have enough or can't do enough to handle the situation that arises, fear takes over.
When I was walking the Camino de Santiago, I struggled with fear in every step I took. Thoughts of not doing enough or not being enough permeated my every thought and fueled my fears. Why didn’t I prepare and plan more carefully? Why aren’t things going as planned? Why was I so slow compared to others on the Camino? Why is it so easy for everyone else?Why aren’t other people suffering like I am? What would happen to me if I got lost? Why couldn’t I control the blisters or the pain or the people around me or the outcomes for the day? What if I can’t finish, and I have to go home as a “failure”? Streaming “what if’s?’ in my head.
It reminded me of the same fears that came up in the classroom.
Same fears, different context. What if I don’t have a perfectly planned lesson for the day? What if I do, and it quickly unravels and doesn’t go as I had planned? What if I get behind? What if my students are lost or don’t care or don’t learn anything? What will happen if my students aren’t doing well, and others find out and judge me as a bad or ineffective teacher? What if my students do well, and there is professional jealousy from my colleagues? What if I can’t measure up to others expectations of me or worse yet, my expectations of my Ego self? Why isn’t everyone else doing as much as I am? I’m exhausted/sick/having personal issues/ family problems/feeling overwhelmed and feeling the collective “pains” of all my students and the “blisters” on my heart. I can’t seem to do or be enough, so that must mean that I am “failing”.
Whether on the Camino or in the classroom, the biggest and most meaningful lesson I have ever learned is that “I AM ENOUGH”. Whenever I check in to my heart and realize that I am always doing the best that I can in the context of this moment, I let go of trying to control the outcomes. I just lean into that moment, check in with my heart and remind myself that where I am now is exactly where I am supposed to be. So, I start from there, and before I take the next step, I reflect, re-set and only then, am I able to rise up and keep going.
I am not a human DOING, but rather, I am a human BEING.
My worth, my purpose, my path through life is not measured by what I do,
but rather, by who I am and how I choose to show up in this world.
No matter the struggle or the outcome, there is a lesson in each step that will lead me to the next step, and the next and the next and…
So, the question now is not “am I enough?”, but rather it is, “what am I here to learn and take away from this experience?” And the next question is, “what choices do I have that align with my intentions and my purpose so that I can show up, rise up and step into who I am… my human being-ness?” My authentic, imperfect, human being self who is here to learn and grow. That is all! And that is enough!
As teachers, we show up every day for our students. And what is most important is that we show up for them in an authentic, heartfelt way. Perfectly imperfect. Lovingly kind and caring. With passion and empathy. We start where we are, and we start where they are. We open our teacher hearts, make a connection to theirs, hold hands and hold each other up.
Step into our enough-ness and our authentic, human self. This is our objective and our lesson plan, in life and in the classroom. This is how we scaffold our teaching and learning…going step-by-step.
This is how we spiral our teaching and learning… we practice and try again and again. We REFLECT, RE-SET and RISE UP.
It is not about a test score or a checklist or a measurement outside of us. These are all “destinations”. It is not about a destination. It is about the journey of the heart. If we only focus on the destination, we may miss the growth opportunities and nuggets of wisdom to be found in the beauty of the human relationships and experiences we have along the way.
We can’t focus on the destination and get caught up in a race of “enoughness”. We must start where we are, and take the next step. Learn and grow. Scaffold and spiral up.
The intention behind the Spirit of Teaching and the weekly Spirit Spark newsletter is to help all teachers reflect, re-set and rise up. The purpose is to somehow spark that knowing deep inside each of us that we can only start from where we are and take the next step. That is enough. You are enough!
Let’s support each other on our paths and through this journey of life!
If you know a teacher or anyone else you feel would enjoy a Spirit Spark to chase away the “Sunday Scaries” or who you feel would be interested in receiving inspiration and guidance to “Reflect, Re-set and Rise UP” on their personal or professional path through life, please sign up on this website for our weekly newsletter, Sunday Spirit Spark.
Inspirational song: I Am Enough by Daphne Willis
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