The Journey
Learning Drafting involves gaining technological knowledge and developing physical skills. Like any other complex subject, students learn at widely different rates. On top of that, the constraints of the school year impose time limits. Four times a year, I have to report how many of the performance standards each student has achieved. Twice a year, I have to give comprehensive tests. The total of these scores becomes the grade for the course. One of the challenges I face daily is how to keep the slower-learning students from getting discouraged and the faster-learning students from getting bored.
I first took a drafting class when I was in the 10th grade. At first, it was just lines on paper to me. But one day, something clicked and those lines started making sense. I could "see" what those lines represent. While it has continued to be a challenge to develop my skills, both mental and physical, it is a challenge that I enjoy. And because it hasn't always been easy for me, I understand the frustration of the students that don't "get it" right away.
I've been studying Tai Chi for a couple of years. It's a unique blend of mental and physical training that literally takes a lifetime to develop. My teacher, Master Chang, also recognizes the different rates at which students learn this complex art. Last night he gave this analogy. (I'm paraphrasing here.) If we were all traveling to New York, some of us might take an airplane, some might drive a car, some might ride a bicycle, and some might walk. Obviously we would not all get to New York at the same time, but it is the same New York. There is no difference in the city, the destination, but there is a difference in the journey.
The people in the airplane get there first, but they see much less of what is between here and there. The people who walk get there last, but they see much more. They feel the steps of the journey, and they have time to learn about themselves along the way. It is not important that others are traveling faster. It is important that you are traveling. You don't fail to achieve the destination until you fail to take the next step.
Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "If you think you can do a thing or that you cannot do a thing, in either case you are right." Most of my students think they can learn what I want them to learn in Drafting. Some of my students think they cannot. In either case they may be right. But as a teacher, I am only right if I think they can learn. It is my duty to encourage them to keep driving while a classmate flies, to keep pedaling while a classmate drives, to keep taking steps while a classmate rides. I have the same goals for all my students, but I know we won't all reach them in the course of a school year. Teaching is not just about the goal, it's about the journey.
I first took a drafting class when I was in the 10th grade. At first, it was just lines on paper to me. But one day, something clicked and those lines started making sense. I could "see" what those lines represent. While it has continued to be a challenge to develop my skills, both mental and physical, it is a challenge that I enjoy. And because it hasn't always been easy for me, I understand the frustration of the students that don't "get it" right away.
I've been studying Tai Chi for a couple of years. It's a unique blend of mental and physical training that literally takes a lifetime to develop. My teacher, Master Chang, also recognizes the different rates at which students learn this complex art. Last night he gave this analogy. (I'm paraphrasing here.) If we were all traveling to New York, some of us might take an airplane, some might drive a car, some might ride a bicycle, and some might walk. Obviously we would not all get to New York at the same time, but it is the same New York. There is no difference in the city, the destination, but there is a difference in the journey.
The people in the airplane get there first, but they see much less of what is between here and there. The people who walk get there last, but they see much more. They feel the steps of the journey, and they have time to learn about themselves along the way. It is not important that others are traveling faster. It is important that you are traveling. You don't fail to achieve the destination until you fail to take the next step.
Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "If you think you can do a thing or that you cannot do a thing, in either case you are right." Most of my students think they can learn what I want them to learn in Drafting. Some of my students think they cannot. In either case they may be right. But as a teacher, I am only right if I think they can learn. It is my duty to encourage them to keep driving while a classmate flies, to keep pedaling while a classmate drives, to keep taking steps while a classmate rides. I have the same goals for all my students, but I know we won't all reach them in the course of a school year. Teaching is not just about the goal, it's about the journey.
