Advent.
Its a great season. Not so much for the harried shopping, the wound up kids in class or the incessant pull to attend one more party.
No, I like advent because of the word. Advent.
The coming of something momentous. The arrival. The reaching of an objective.
It feels like hope. As though a sunrise was about to come up on a dark night.
I have recently spoken to my students about what makes the world go 'round. Money or Love. And I pointed out the many, many times in our past and current history how when children are not loved it bends and breaks them, but if they don't have money they still survive and even thrive (please don't misunderstand me, poverty is a real and pernicious issue, and I don't mean to minimise it - but I have seen very happy communities which have no money at all). Hope springs from Love, because Love fuels Hope.
Love is what drives us as educators. Love is what makes us refuse to rest on our laurels (or pre-made lessons/old plans) and pushes us to continually improve. Love is what keeps us up at night working on lesson ideas, worrying about 'that kid' or wondering how the next day will go.
Love lets us go up against entrenched bureaucracies, corporations or ideologies. It makes us tired, driven, joyful, hopeful in the face of despair. Love always, protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13: 7-8)
I feel so privileged to be connected to such an amazing body of people who Love their students and their practise deeply. Who challenge me daily to be better than who I was and give me Hope to reach it.
I remember this during this Advent season and I gratefully bless all of my PLN for how they have blessed me and wish them a warm, enjoyable and restful break.
