Please Surpass Me

A teacher’s motto should be, “Please surpass me.”

Write better than me. Sing and perform better than me. Teach better than me. Surpass me in all ways.

My 11-year-old just came back to chess after a few months off. (He was enjoying daily Yahtzee matches in the meantime.) He is once again beating me regularly, and especially now finding little traps that I don’t spot until it’s too late. He is on his way to fully surpassing me in this complex game.

My role as a parent is a lot like my role as a teacher. It’s my job, in a fairly limited time, to empower my kids to develop their passions, learn about the world, and respect those around them. They don’t have to be my passions, and if they are shared passions and my kids surpass my skills/ knowledge/ achievements…so much the better for having been there to see it happen.

For my students? Same.

My former students are outstanding performers, outstanding songwriters, outstanding teachers. To watch them grow and learn and achieve greater heights than I ever have is thrilling. I don’t feel that I’m somehow less because they’re greater, and I don’t feel like they owe many anything at all for my small role in their achievements.

I just feel so incredibly proud to see them surpass me.