Teachers and Parents...

We know that God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity; that we can only save ourselves in the long run – and ultimately we stand bare and alone in front of our Lord on the Day Of Reckoning.

Keeping that in mind when one begins to dissect relationships, the weirdest one of them all has to be the one between a parent and her child. As parents we might aid in the formation of the physical and genetic makeup of our baby, but what ‘exactly’ connects us to the soul that comes into the hollow body?

Bearing children is a weird phenomenon. First of all, it must be really weird to look at your newborns visage - see your own nose, hands, and eyes- yet see a completely alien soul look back at you with wonder. Second of all, the false sense of security that you somehow control another soul’s density can’t be good for the way in which you treat/raise your child.

That being said, I can’t pretend to be an expert as I am neither a scholar nor a parent. I have however some years of teaching (or rather attempts at teaching) under my belt, which has helped me to make the following realizations.

I think the first time I had the chance to work with Pre-Schoolers, I was amazed by how strong and assertive those children were. I did not see the image of their mother or father; all I saw was uninhibited, pure, raw soul energy. You could almost tell what kind of a personality they would incorporate into their beings in the distant future.

The realization that I had no control over the way in which my students will eventually lead their lives, came within the first week of my teaching career. Also, came with it the horrific realization that I was ‘responsible’ for caring after these gentle beings, until they were old enough to fend for themselves. Suddenly, I felt myself become a Social Worker, a Psychologist, a Mediator, and sometimes if there was time, their Teacher.

A parent is the first teacher the pure soul encounters when they begin their life on this fleeting Earth. They spend most of their time with these Earthly parents, and re-learn what they’ve forgotten-- if they’re lucky. I guess what im trying to say is that parents are in even a more screwed up position than a school teacher because their spending time with the child is exponentially greater! HAH! Erm.

Teachers sometimes might not treat students with the same respect they would an adult because children tend to be shorter, innocent, and inexperienced, but parents because of their ‘flesh’ connection tend to treat their children as a continuation of their legacy and in some cases their property; all the while forgetting that children are a sacred trust, an individual entity, that will stand alone – just like them – on the DAY OF JUDGEMENT.