The Tao of Teaching
2003© Copyright Dan Sewell Ward, All Rights Reserved
( Natalie adds: and the tao of parenting.)
A wise teacher lets others have the floor.
A good teacher is better than a spectacular teacher. Otherwise, the teacher becomes more important than the teaching.
Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening.
Silence says more than words; pay much attention to it.
Continual classroom drama clouds inner work.
Allow time for genuine insight.
A good reputation arises naturally from doing good work. But do not nourish the reputation; the anxiety will be endless. Instead, nourish the work.
To know what is happening, relax, and do not try to figure things out. Listen quietly, be calm, and use reflection.
Let go of selfishness. Let go of your ego, and you will receive what you need. Give away credit, and you will get more. When you desire nothing, much comes to you. The less you make of yourself, the more you are.
Instead of trying hard, be easy. Teach by example, and more will happen.
Trying to appear brilliant does not work.
The gift of a great teacher is to create an awareness of greatness in others.
Because the teacher can see clearly, light is shed on others.
Teach as a leader and a healer. Constant force and intervention will backfire, as will constant yielding. One cannot push the river; a leader’s touch is light.
To manage other lives takes strength; to manage your own life takes real power.
Be happy, content, and at peace with yourself.