The Truth

A few weeks ago I was charged with the task of pairing up with a fellow teacher on giving a presentation on inquiry-based learning for our staff. Immediately when I read the email and its directive, my heart felt like it would if the teacher called on you in class and you didn't know the answer. It's kind of like, "Oh crap!"

I love inquiry-based learning, but I am still new too it. I'm not an expert, and I've only been teaching for a year. And honestly, most of the year, I didn't know what I was doing! I learned a ton of course, but most of my trial and error was necessary, grueling, and life-defeating error. So is the life of one who works with kids. Anyway, once again, as I've found myself many times before in life, I do not know the answer.

Don't we all feel like this some days?

I set out to fix this. I did a bunch of research online about other people's research about inquiry-based learning. I familiarized myself with it's basic concepts, on top of the ones I already knew, and I strove to learn as much as I could as to not be seen in front of my peers as someone without the answer. Sure I want to give a good presentation for their benefit and the benefit of our kids, but I think I was also working out of the fear of my own exposure. I didn't want to be known as that failure.

I called a friend and explained my predicament. He asks me, "What is inquiry-based learning?" I explain to him, "Well, it's kind of like learning by experience. You want to solve a question, a problem, or a scenario, and to do that, you have to learn about the dynamics of the situation. By giving kids this problem, you drive their learning by research, group work, experimentation, and presentation of ideas. You don't give them the answer. They find out for themselves because there is a purpose for their learning: solving the problem!"

Or at least... I said something like that...

Anyway, I explained to him how hard it is for me to be in front of a crowd, how I felt more unprepared because I didn't know the subject as well as I wanted, and even more unprepared because I've only taught for a year and sort of tutored another. He stopped me and said, "You know what? God is giving you an inquiry-based learning experience right now!"

It was hilarious. Here I am freaking out over how to make this presentation work, and God is giving me an experience where I get to learn how to walk through a situation where I do not know the answer, where I am not the most qualified, where I am not "the expert." Inevitably, we come across these situations in life, and unfortunately, I know I have spent much of my life trying to avoid them. I could read in the Bible or hear from another about how they responded to that sort of situation, but here God is giving me the experience. He's teaching me like I'm trying to teach my kids.

I've always loved the brutal honesty of Jesus. He provokes Pharisees, pushing their buttons, knowing how fake they are with their lofty prayers, generous offerings in public, rule following, etc. I believe He invites us out of our masks, out of trying to be someone we're not. It takes great courage to say, "Hey, I'm not what I'm afraid everyone thinks I should be." Because honestly, I'm not. Most of us are not, I think. I wonder how often we think everyone else is totally sane and that we're the only person who is losing their mind.

Anyway, I believe God is inviting me to be honest about my struggle here, and my hope is that others can join me in that honesty in life. We spend far, far too much struggling, fighting, clawing to keep up the facade, and with our job, as teachers and just being human beings, already being so difficult, that's just something we should not have to do! Don't we have a hard enough time already trying to navigate awkward social situations, trying not to step on peoples toes, trying to love our fellow man, and whatever else without judgement and death?

And I hope that could be the same in my life with anything, with family, with WyldLife, with church, friends, anything. I hope to have the courage to say stuff like this in my every day life, not just behind my computer screen, but when doing ministry with my teammates, when walking the halls at school, when eating dinner with church friends, wherever. It's terrifying, but I believe it is worth it.

Here's to another year of teaching middle schoolers, inviting kids to meet Jesus Christ, and enjoying life with friends and family!

Hogg teachers ready to RUMBLE