Master Teacher

“Education is experience, and the essence of experience is self-reliance.” ― T.H. White, The Once and Future King


"How was your yoga class tonight, Ann?"

"It was great. Throughout the session, Denise wove commentary on  the essence of her mini-sermon on uncertainty. Going to yoga class and letting someone else tell you what to do and how long to do it is practice for dealing with the uncertainty of life.

The poses were hard, but I could do them all. I challenged myself to do poses that I don't do on my own. I felt strong. I made it through today's uncertainty . Denise is a master teacher."

Yes. Perhaps Denise helps me define master teaching. A master teacher is someone who challenges me to do something hard and then supports me so that I can do it. In the end, I feel stronger. I learn to do something challenging independently, and I learn that I can take on challenges that I didn't know I could manage. A master teacher ties my activities to a bigger idea, an idea that guides me in life.

Through Ann, Denise teaches me, too, as I live with the uncertainty of this life, those brain tumors, the MRIs, my disabilities.

I consider Denise's sermon as I do yoga each morning, now, a habit that I developed twenty years ago in Denise's class.