At first it seemed that the man was conducting some sort of class for the geese. He would point one way, and the geese seemed to move where he pointed. Then he would move toward them, and they would respond to his movement by moving almost in a straight line. They seemed to be standing in lines, waiting for his direction of what to do next.
Then as I walked to a new perspective, I noticed that the humans were working hard to herd all of the geese onto the empty, muddy softball field. The geese moved again in groups and lines, rather than the mass chaos that I might've expected. When the man and boy rushed at the geese to push them one way, They split into groups and moved just far enough to momentarily appease the chaser. Then they waddled back to where they wanted to be as if it was a game.
I was truly mesmerized by the geese. They kept their distance from the man and boy, and the geese craned their necks to track what the humans were up to. They clearly felt safe in their groups, and they refused to be driven apart or away from their field. The chasers were persistent, but the geese had their own opinions about where they were going to be. They were opinionated, confident, cautious, and stubborn. Finally, one goose began to walk away from the softball field, and many geese followed, again in a single line.
Perhaps what truly struck me was how similar my first day of teaching was similar to the scene that had unfolded before me. Clearly, we teachers think that we're in charge of a flock of students, and we work hard to set limits for them. When our students are young, they go where we lead them; I'd like to think that we lead them, rather than pushing them. As our students mature, similar to this mature flock, they seem to acknowledge our authority, but there's a sense that they're humoring us.
Perhaps the moment that the geese reminded me of most today was when we were in the gymnasium doing team building activities. The teachers in charge of this activity gave students cryptic instructions, which all of the kids immediately understood, but many of the other adults were puzzled by. Then suddenly kids were running and yelling; they were shooting balls and Frisbees all over the gym. The uncertain adults refrained from lunging to put a lid on the chaos; beneath the chaos, there clearly was order. Within minutes all students were sitting quietly on the floor; the game had ended as quickly as it had started.
Then it was time for the highlight of the day: tug-of-war between 8th grade homerooms. While I'm a competitive person, I never expect to win this event because I don't want to put that kind of pressure on my students. However, my homeroom is just amazing this year. They simply looked and me and assured me that we would easily win this event. I nodded. Sure enough they went out there, won the big event, and claimed their Scooby Doo inflatable water sprinkler with great delight. They found a home for the coveted trophy in my room.
Honestly, when we as adults step back and allow these maturing teens to step into their own power, they can truly achieve amazing things. Despite the apparent chaos, when I took another perspective, I recognized that they understood and respected the rules in the first game they played. Then they worked as a team to win the tug-of-war. They believed in themselves. I stepped back and watched as they organized a winning team on the rope. They put physically strong people on one end of the rope, other strong students with good shoe traction in the center of the rope, and made sure that they alternated people in the middle. They believed in themselves and easily won the competition. They emerged high-fiving winners.
I recognize that my job as a teacher is to guide students to where the state dictates, but I don't have to push them or run at them to herd them. Instead, I choose to guide them, to listen to them, to support them, and to encourage them. When they feel empowered, I truly believe that they are capable of amazing things.
Today will serve as a reminder for me to lead and to guide my students to be the very best that they can be.
Namaste,
L
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