The Heartbreak of the Teacher
When the exceptional student comes along, there is an awakening within the teacher’s heart, a rejoicing that is incomparable. A flood of joyful anticipation flows through one’s being and then when the time is right, the work begins…
First the groundwork: I, the teacher have feet of clay, my knowledge is limited; I am the student too.
My intention is to enable the student to embrace a state of being that will eventually and worthily attract an advanced teacher that could be a person or not uncommonly, a ‘practice’.
Through the necessity of experience, I will cause emotional turmoil. I am a teacher of the ‘Art Magical’ which during our relationship will be all-encompassing.
The force of these extraordinary and rare students is the quest that demands truth, respect and the quintessential knowledge that is tinged with magic.
The mutual respect and admiration which develops almost immediately between student and teacher is an essential aspect of this relationship which by its very nature contains mutual trust.
There is no time limit, no format and only one rule, family must be your first responsibility.
There comes a time when in the process of teaching, the student seems to take over and pride becomes the stumbling block because they do know. This period is a most vulnerable time for both teacher and student.
When the student begins to preach to the teacher the lessons taught by them, it is time to assess whether or not to back away and allow the practice to take over the lessons
Often the student has pupils of their own which can be of benefit because in teaching we learn valuable lessons. Alas, with the position of ‘teacher’ comes dangers that are unbecoming in us all, pride, arrogance and those inevitable clay feet.
At this point in the teacher-pupil relationship when the pupil feels competent, it is time to activate a distance into a situation that is both respectful and gracious.
Ah, if that were always the way; heartbreakingly, occasionally it is not. Those clod-hopping clay feet are difficult to master in the early days of the revered position of teacher. They can take the form of arrogance, rudeness and bad manners as the inner mundane mortal emerges into non-magical rebellious action.
The magic is threatened, almost sacrificed, by the student’s self-important pettiness of ego and the moment.
It is at this point the rare dark gift of sadness wells up in the heart of the teacher.
And then we remember; without our teaching, the student would still be in the world of play-acting, ignorant of the wonders of the magic. Now it is the turn of ‘practice’ to teach, which is far more testing and ruthless in its judgement and reward.
Further self analysis reveals unpleasant memories of my first clod-hoppers. There was just one telling difference, inherent good manners mastered and moulded my clay feet.
Maxine Sanders
