Teaching shows you the nature of your heart. It's a barometer, really, that gives me an instant reading of the amount of patience and love in me at that moment. How I respond to the fifth student asking the same innocent question, for example, carries a lot of weight with those who are watching me. Am I consistent? Kind? Clear? Loving?
In the interest of finding the true meaning of a word, and in the mission of reflecting upon one of the most important character traits it takes to be a teacher, here's the definition of consistent:
adjective
1. agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory: His views and actions are consistent.
2. constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc.: a consistent opponent.
3. holding firmly together; cohering.
4. Archaic. fixed; firm.
Fixed, anchored, cohesive, harmonious, reliable, uniform. I don't know if you can try to be consistent, because it seems to require something beyond that - I think our actions and reactions bubble up from beliefs, convictions, values. Simply put, out of the overflow of our heart, we speak, act, damage, or repair. Where's my heart at? Knowing and dealing with that is much more effective than any classroom management technique or relationship approach, because it requires me to grapple with the source of my attitude.
Do I interact the same way with the clerk at Payless Shoes as I do with the principal of the school? With my 8th grade confirmation girls and my close girlfriends? Between my parents and my boyfriend?
Something to think about.
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