Our Greatest Fear

The school year is well under way, and as fairly new math teacher, my mind is constantly pondering how I can best motivate students to desire to learn and work hard. My goal is to help students become the best version of themselves, but I have recognized that many of us are seemingly afraid to try; for fear that if they try and fail they will be embarrassed because it will reflect on their permanent ability or some students are afraid of realizing their true potential! I realize I can relate to much of this with my own racing and other life endeavors.

 I came across a great poem by Mary Williamson:

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

Last week I was sitting at Starbucks doing some lesson planning and a gentleman biked by on a recumbent bike with a stuffed Cat in the Hat on the back. He stopped his bike at my table and asked if I was working on my homework- assuming I was in high school- CLASSIC! I told him I was actually planning homework for my students and he was baffled that I could be of age to teach... He got off his bike, sat down at my table, and started asking questions. Through our conversation I learned much about him including his passion to learn. He shared that he used to be a pharmacist because his father had owned a drug store, so that was the natural job to take over, but now that he is retired, he is pursing his passion to learn through a DVD curriculum. You could tell that he had an uncanny drive to explore what the world has to offer and had no fear of being the best he could be. At the end of the conversation, he told me I could look him up by searching for “94 year old takes trampoline lessons!!!!” I have attached the link, if you want to watch.video link

            Walking away from the conversation, I was so inspired by this gentleman who has experienced so much of life, that he does not fear taking risks and trying to reach his potential. I wonder what you and I are not doing for fear of what we may really achieve or for fear of failure… and what could be accomplished if, as Mary Williamson says, we believed we were children of God and lived in freedom; would we really be “liberating others?”