Solvitur Ambulando
“And as always, the only way out is through and the only way through is together.” (from our WWCB November meeting pre-writing prompt)
When I told my dad I’d started running, he told me that he’d tried running for awhile when he was in his 30’s but his knees didn’t like it, so he went back to walking. My dad walks for at least an hour every day, usually in the early morning, in any weather. He introduced me to a saying: Solvitur Ambulando. In Latin this means “it is solved by walking.” My dad’s walking time is also his thinking time.
This saying made me think about the journey of teaching and learning. We just keep walking. We never solve all of the problems, but we keep going. We keep thinking. We keep questioning. We keep learning. We keep walking. The Writing Project lets us walk together: thinking, questioning, and struggling as we walk, often holding each others’ hands.
Recently I was working on an annotated bibliography for my Alternative Education class. At the end I was supposed to add a teaching philosophy statement explaining how my philosophy had evolved during the course. It was supposed to be two pages. I thought to myself, I could write chapters upon chapters if I had the time and space. Yes, my teaching philosophy has evolved recently. It’s evolved with this course, and all my courses this semester. It’s evolved with the Writing Project. It’s evolved with important conversations with teachers. It’s evolved with witnessing my own children. It’s evolved with reading, with writing, with dialogue, with questions, with listening. It’s always evolving.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my roles this year, how “learner” is now at the forefront, where “teacher” used to be. But I now see that as a “teacher,” my role as “learner” should still always be at the forefront. If I’m a learner first and foremost, I’m never an expert; I just gain more experience. If I’m a learner, I’m always open. I’m always a listener. I’m making connections. I’m sharing control. I’m building relationships. I’m building partnerships.
Teaching is a constant work of art in progress. It’s a constant draft, never final. Perfection will never be achieved, but there are always new ideas, new developments, new learnings, and new questions.
Solvitur Ambulando. We keep walking, together.
