Name the role without exaggerating it.

My Arkansas grandpa had a saying:

We killed a bear (but papa shot it).

My problem with “You shape the future” is that I do. Every teacher does, to some extent.

If I spend 180+ days with a student, we shape each other’s future to some extent. (Fine print!)

Here’s how I free myself from the future-shaping burden:

1. I name my role without exaggerating it.

2. I focus on the students (names and faces), and

3. I share my real (but not exaggerated) responsibility with my girlfriend, daughters and friends.

Full stop.

Try it and see if you’re lighter - engaging more freely - without all the emotional baggage of their future is in your hands.

See you in class,

J