It is early in the AM, Wednesday morning, I find myself revisiting one of my favorite all time films clips from Vanilla Sky, and realize – I know finally what I think makes a TRUE educator (and not just a teacher…) at least part of the recipe…being able to let go.  When you have the ability to let go of the young minds that you have tried to shape, influence, and guide (NOT BRAINWASH, lol), and find yourself letting them go out into the world, yet it hurts deeply because you have enjoyed the ride so much along the way, I think you have made it to being an educator.

I look back on the recent, not so recent, and even beginning years of my teaching, and realize, the hardest thing was not going through those years trying to make my way though it seemed THAT was the hardest at the time!) – but detaching myself from teaching these very important people that I encountered all the things I hoped they would carry with them.

I find myself drawn to films like Meet Joe Black, Vanilla Sky, and other that escape me now, that carry this similar theme, the pursuit of more than just the average, almost surreal sometimes.  Then I realize, I think I might have had that all along thanks to the amazing students that have come, and thenI let go to prove themselves….:)  Bittersweet as expressed in yes, in one of my favorite movies, Vanilla Sky…:)