Teaching is a snorkeling adventure. A teacher gets a glimpse into students’ lives and visits for a year- but doesn’t stay forever, just as a snorkeler visits the underwater creatures’ home only for a short period. The underwater landscape is somewhat mysterious, as students can be. A timid snorkeler isn’t going to get much out of their adventure, as a teacher won’t relate to students without trying. I can stay on the surface and view the creatures from a distance, or I can hold my breath, dive down, and see things up close. When you’re snorkeling, you can swim fast and admire things, but you’re not seeing all there is to see. If you float and hover, rather than swim, you will see twice as much. The fast snorkeler will see fish, fish, fish, (check behind them for sharks), coral, sand, and then retire to the shore from boredom. The snorkeler who takes their time will see the big fish, the little fish hiding in the sea grass, the crab scurrying across the brain coral, and be the one to point out to other snorkelers all they’re missing. Glossing over the area, like glossing over the “get to know your students” part, will put you at a loss. If you stop and look around, all the students are worth looking at and you might be amazed at what you find.
With respect to reading: cramming with Sparknotes isn’t half as satisfying as reading and finishing a novel… Similarly, a glass bottom boat tour isn’t the way to see the bottom of the ocean. You need to go into the water.