On the Path of Wonder
Science devoid of humanity is like food devoid of nutrition. I made this discovery as a young adult, fresh out of college. I was in the field of medical research at the time, and found that I was spending much of my time with beakers, radioactive isotopes, and reports. Unlike the man who led the lab—working with patients on a weekly basis with great passion for his work—I was not interacting with the people whose lives my work would affect.
For this reason, I found it difficult to find my heart in laboratory science where others could. I began to recognize that teaching was something that I had done as a hobby since the age of 14. The thought of contributing to the field of education was becoming an emerging dream.
Before long I found myself developing new schools with mentors and colleagues, and applying the discipline of scientific research to a study of human development. Science had not been a wrong turn for me, but rather, an important step along a greater path.
I thought I’d never teach below a high school level, but serendipity landed me in the position of a Kindergarten and first grade classroom teacher, developing a new school with a brilliant mentor. I was now directly interacting with the very human beings whose lives I was to enrich. This helped me to find a heart in science at long last. I studied the process of how children learned, and what they needed in order to thrive in their education and development.
It was an unexpected gift—to start my educational career with Kindergarteners. After all, young children let you know how you’re doing as a teacher without evaluation forms. If you make a big mistake, they burst into tears. If you’re on your game, they light up with delight and fascination. The self-evaluation process is instantaneous.
My greatest discovery that first year as a teacher was that there is a surprising amount of wisdom to be found in young children. They are filled with wonder for the simplest and smallest things. I opened my mind and heart to that wisdom, and found my life transformed.
