Often the ancients remind us to know ourselves honestly and adopt an attitude of humility before we seek to learn or to teach others. Humility has certainly, sought or not, become a theme for me as I begin teaching.
Every day, the school begins with prayer, specifically, the Litany of Humility. That prayer always works . . . always. It astounds me how many questions high schoolers have; it humbles me that they see me as the source of their answers to not only literary quandaries but also the rocky patches of their tumultuous teen lives. I praise God for my theological education and missionary background to handle the moral and practical questions they ask. But I pray to God to help me think quickly or answer honestly, "I don't know, but I will find out," in response to some of their academic questions. Some of my freshmen are Greek & Roman culture enthusiasts (yes, it's a prep school) and understand the mythological connections in Homer as well or better than I do. Similarly, I recently had to lead two hour-long (was it really that short?) discussions on economical theories. I couldn't talk for a couple hours after that as my brain recovered.
However, opportunities for humility are not limited to intellectual challenges, I also feel like the queen of awkwardness. A week ago, I almost completely wiped out as my skirt caught on a chair at Mass. In addition, every day I walk through the front doors looking like a thin dromedary with half a library's worth of books hanging off of me in various bags. In addition, my students now know all of my funny mannerisms and verbal "Kelly-isms."
Isn't it wonderful when your vocation can clearly become an opportunity for virtue as well? Ok, so it doesn't always feel wonderful. However, God taught me quite a while ago to laugh at myself (Larry helps too, he laughs "with" me almost daily) . . . more on that to come in a later post.
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