We used to go to a doctor who had completely forgotten his ‘why.’
“What’s wrong?” He’d ask, glancing at us for a half second. And we’d start to explain. He’d stop looking at us to start writing. Always writing.
As we finished, there would almost always be a strange silence as he caught up with our story on paper.
“Umm hmm.” He’d often say, and then would reach for his prescription block. More writing. In triplicate.“Take pill x for five days, three times a day after meals. Could you tell patient Y that they are next please?”
Awful. We hated going to that clinic.
Thankfully, a few years later we returned to discover the same doctor, but a completely different man. He had rediscovered his ‘why.’
As we walked in, he greeted my wife by name. He listened to what was wrong, and wrote very little. The attention was on the patient, not the paperwork.
After our explanation of what was wrong, he asked my wife if he could check out a few of her physical symptoms. They moved to his examination bed, and he proceeded to check her carefully – engaging in pleasant conversation the whole time through.
We felt welcomed and taken care of.
The point: Mission, or a strong sense of ‘why,’ makes us better at what we do.
So my question to you is: Do you know what your ‘why’ is? More importantly: are you living it out each day as you go to your classes?
Inspired teachers, teachers living out their ‘why’ is what ESL students everywhere are hungry for, and only an inspired teacher can inspire their students.
Photo by jurvetson