To see the original Battalion Hawk Bloggers post…

Passing the Torch

 

Passing the Torch… a metaphor for relinquishing to others. As Global Grade 3 passed the torch to the Battalion Hawk Bloggers, so the time has come for the Battalion Hawk Bloggers to pass the torch on to a new Grade 3.

I question, is the torch really passed on or do we carry it forward with us? Rather than passing on our torch do we share the light with the new so their torches grow brighter and in the process kindle ours and prepare it to grow brighter still as we continue our learning journey?

Searching for the words of others to reinforce my questions, I found this quote attributed to Buddha…

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the single candle will not be shortened.”

Learning has little value unless it is shared with others. We can all share the light we carry without diminishing it.

For the teacher, the words of Henry Adams ring true…

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams - US author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 - 1918)

The teacher kindles the torches of many during a career and in the process their own torch grows brighter. It’s the interaction with students that fuels their fire and thirst for learning and sharing. A little of themself is passed on to future generations in the process.

Henry Ford once said…

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

These words ring true in my experience as a retired teacher. I sought ways of being involved by writing for the young and sharing as a volunteer working with children but my torch has grown all the more brighter for the interactions I have shared through blogging. I have become a virtual teacher in the classrooms of many and in doing so have learned much more.

Our torch only truly grows dim when we close our minds to new knowledge and if we fail to share with others.

I found a You Tube clip sharing the words of a poem by Paula Fox. “Heart of a Teacher” shares the meaning of teaching.

You can see the text of Paula Fox’s poem here…

http://blog.simpletruths.com/heart-of-a-teacher-movie

The torch has been shared and we have all grown from the experiences kindling our own.