I am convinced that you cannot speak of teaching without also thinking about learning.  The two are inextricably tied. Teaching is among the oldest of professions and, in my estimation, the most noble.  All of us are who we are because of — or in spite of — some teacher along the way.

There is something special — almost magical — about the connection between the student and an outstanding teacher.  The best teachers are also the best learners: secure enough to learn something new from their pupils, yet insecure enough to be willing to experiment with new thoughts and ideas.

Each teacher has his or her own style — just as every learner does.  The remarkable teacher capitalizes on the strengths of each student, because true learning takes place when the teacher’s strengths and the student’s strengths mesh.  The best teachers serve not as omnipotent sources of new information, but as guides for their students as they are exposed to new ideas and concepts.  They learn along with their pupils. They have the power to transform their students and touch their lives well beyond the borders of the traditional classroom and well beyond the hours and minutes of the actual class.

The very best teachers make it look so easy.  Yet we know it is not.  Remarkable teaching is both tiring and time consuming.  That’s why I always encourage my education students to expend the effort and take the time required to identify both their own strengths and their students’ strengths.  To commit themselves to learning with their students and from their students.  To do whatever it takes to become a “because of” teacher instead of an “in spite of” teacher.