The teacher says to him, 'Oh, that s not a real cough. I feel exhausted and sad. Finally, I allow myself to just feel what I am feeling. That pain is her personal connection to the situation and becomes the avenue for her compassion. Too often new classroom teachers burn out or dry up in the confusing and overwhelming emotional complexity of teaching.
Many teachers become impervious to feeling.
The price of this is isolation from others and from the fullness of everyday experience. The other little girls are trying on funny dresses, but this little girl is content to rock back and forth slowly, while feeding her child. I feel a warm burst in my chest, a small connection with this girl, and I sense within myself a desire to be held and healed. As we sort out our experiences, our subtle anxieties begin to fall away and we gradually accept ourselves. When we are less concerned with ourselves, we have more energy, interest and dedication to others.