Circle of Learning

"I am not a teacher, but an awakener."

Robert Frost

Life experience provides a child to learn from an adult (mentor, guide, teacher or elder). The child grows up realizing the impact the adult made upon his or her essence, and it seems there is no way to 'pay back' the teacher.  This is two fold, however, as 1.) The teacher already received the gift of learning from the relationship with the student and 2.) The student who received heightened insight can 'pass it on' now as the mentor.

What the mentor is projecting is a reflection of what is seen in the student.  The intention is to highlight the strengths through encouragement and embrace difficulty as challenges not mistakes nor failures.  Frequently, as the teacher and student respectfully share this process, both are learning from it.

This is not to minimize the respect one has for either student nor teacher.  In later times, to reach out and acknowledge the gift of discovering authenticity with someone is frequently valuable.  It either completes the circle with restorative memories for both or primes the circle for future forward motion.