Bird Droppings October 8, 2021

Are great teachers intuitive? IESP

I have mentioned in my writing that I can tell when a child has emotional issues most of the time, after observing a few minutes and listening. Granted, our observations are part of most evaluations, but I referred to an intuitive observation aspect. Something we learn perhaps as we experience and live life. John Dewey would point to learned experiences that allow us to build on the present and future experiences.

Over the years, several children I have worked with have recommended additional involvement and, unfortunately, also got to say I told you so in the future. I am going into a manifestation Monday in a similar situation. I got up in the middle of the night to work on some ideas preparing for this meeting. Several months back, I went to my niece’s daughter’s IEP to advise what seems to be a child being underserved. I went with nearly 300 plus pages of Georgia Kindergarten standards for some support and to look official. I have data and black marks on a page, yet this is often insignificant if interpreted without intuitive wisdom as a filter or guide.

“Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” Edwin Hubbel Chapin

As I discussed in the final class debriefing, as it is called at a foxfire teacher training several years back, a thought hit me as to why some teachers can do more than others. Some teachers succeed where others flounder, intuition, a simple idea, and a difficult concept to teach. This is an area most education classes forget. I have, for many years, considered teaching an art form. There is an aspect of teaching that separates great teachers from poor teachers. In their midst, the volumes of educational lore are very few that get into the concept of intuition.

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” John Steinbeck

“Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.” Michael Burke

Intuitively, knowing what to do at a specific moment is not easily taught in a classroom; it has to be experienced and understood at a deeper level.

“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” Dr. Benjamin Spock

“Instinct is untaught ability.” Bain

In a teacher training session on grading, I listened to seasoned teachers discuss how they would do this or that, then one said, “do you have that written down” What is your starting point. How much planning time do you allow? And as I watched and heard in disbelief in this situation, that was one of a teachable moment slip away by the wayside. The person speaking turned around, stunned as I was, and said I do not plan; it takes ten minutes to jot down a daily note to my students, and each day they experience new things, and we build on that.

“Instinct is intelligence incapable of self-consciousness.” John Sterling

I began thinking of keywords in teaching, intuition being a good starting point. Always when teaching anachronisms help and I found IESP, Intuition, Empathy, Sympathy, and Perception. These are all aspects of a good teacher, a good parent, and a good person.

“Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.” Dr. Joyce Brothers

In researching intuition in years gone by, many psychologists believe we have stored experiences and concepts that we do not even recall that are the basis for intuition.

“Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.” Florence Scovel Shinn

Other researchers consider aspects yet undiscovered as a basis for intuitiveness and intuition.

“A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of the reasons for his action.” Jawaharlal Nehru

So many years back, Nehru was the first Prime Minister of an independent India and a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.

“Instinct is the nose of the mind.” Madame De Girardin

I saw this note, and it intrigued me. Instinct is a door opener and perhaps a starting point, a beginning it could be even one of our senses.

“I would rather trust a woman’s instinct than a man’s reason.” Stanley Baldwin

I do not know exactly what this entity is; we call intuition. I have observed many teachers and parents, workers, and managers. Some know the answers, and others have to understand and solve the issues. As I was thinking and pondering the past few days, I always seemed to come back to a favorite quote.

“Life is about the journey, not the destination” Steven Tyler, Aerosmith

One of my red neck buddies responded, “what the h— does that have to do with intuition”? Some of us have a goal, a destination, but getting there is critical and crucial as a result. Each aspect of the pathway is essential rather than merely the end of the trip. When you are looking as you go, you see so much more. I recall a long journey as a child, and we would play games looking for animals. If you choose to look only for red-tailed hawks, it would be miles and even hours between birds. If you decide on birds and how many different ones, you can see we up the chances of seeing something every few seconds or minutes. Open that to all animals, and now every few seconds, you are looking for details on the roadside and trees and grass. Life is so similar some people are looking for specifics, so minute they seldom find what they are looking for. Others see every nook and cranny. Intuition is in the crevices, I think.

“The really happy man is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. “Anonymous

I wish I had said that or who said it. Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts and always give thanks namaste.

My family and friends, I do not say this lightly,

Mitakuye Oyasin

(We are all related)

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