“The tree which moves some to tears of joy
is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in
the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity,
and some scarce
see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination,
Nature is Imagination itself.”
William Blake, 1799, The Letters.
How is instructing, teaching, inspiring,
and being an educator like the essence of a tree? It is through
education that we
can play an integral part in a greater system that works to enhance, develop,
prepare,
motivate, and
encourage character and professional development, as well as civic
responsibility, in learners. Similarly,
it is the essence of a tree to promote growth, adapt to new environmental
stimuli, produce and nourish future generations, and to provide valuable
resources to the environment as a whole.
Being an educator necessitates
an individual who embodies an assortment of elements and qualities, such as
facilitation, teaching,
and instructing skills. One with knowledge and competency in these
areas allows for the creative formulation
of a vast range of
experiences that will develop and propagate the whole individual within
students. In addition,
both a tree and an educator work towards the
enhancement of their students/fruit, and their own system of life.
The four fundamental areas of a tree that
are necessary to enhance its integrity and existence are the fruit,
leaves, branches, and trunk. Each of these areas provides vital functions
to encourage the existence and
longevity of the tree as a whole. However, it is the roots that provide the foundational
support for the tree.
By being an educator, I pledge myself to
helping students establish and understand their own foundations,
in
an attempt to help create strong leaders of tomorrow. In addition, all of the parts of a tree are able to
provide
services to its surrounding community.
The tree extends shade, food, timber, shelter, aesthetic
inspiration,
and most importantly the essence of life, oxygen. Through the work of our
future leaders
and educators, we will be able to provide similar services to
others within the immediate school,
surrounding community, and the world at
large. Furthermore, trees promote the
future
growth of seedlings by
offering their shade, food, and even decaying bodies.
By advising students of all
walks of life,
an educator parallels this
unconditional promotion
of seedling development. Also, as
the girth of the tree grows, it
continues to write and record
the factors of the surrounding
environment into the core to
mark
the change of time and the
seasons
on its essence. As educators develop
through workshops and
trainings,
they too mark their growth in
their
core. Finally, a tree is always
part of that which is
bigger. It is a
member of countless
organizations
such as the food cycle, the
life cycle,
and a habitat for animals and other
plants. It uses this
membership
to continue it’s own growth,
but also
to give back to the community
from which it has arisen. When I
think of how the essence of being
an educator matches the essence of a tree, I feel that it is
grounded in being part of
that which is greater. One can break
down the parts of the tree, just as the
qualities of an educator can be looked at separately. I feel that my essence and experience stands to be a part of a greater system. I am a person participating in life, just as the tree. I can fulfill each of these qualities separately, yet what I bring as a whole, is imminently greater.
I offer this as a last
thought: “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn,” Ralph Waldo
Emerson.
Let me be your acorn!