Lentil Soup

    I do not know much about lentil soup. However, I do have some prior knowledge about both soup and lentils. I know that to make soup, one usually combines a number of ingredients into a pot of boiling liquid, usually water. I also know that lentils are small legumes that cook similarly to beans. 

Student teaching in Honduras has been a bit like jumping into a pot of boiling lentils. I know that I am in a soup, and I know that lentils are good for me. Yet, they are unfamiliar, mushy, and do not look particularly appetizing. Additionally, boiling in a pot of water is rather uncomfortable, even if the process helps to make me a better-tasting lentil.  

    Slowly, the "cooking" process is refining me as a teacher. Through the help of fellow teachers, or "lentils," to stick with the metaphor, I now have a better idea of what it looks like to lead a group of students and to plan, prepare, and teach lessons. Being "boiled" has also taught me more about myself, my dreams, and my visions for what a classroom could look like. "Softened" is a word that could describe me. Slowly, gradually, I am becoming a teacher. After countless hours of stewing and boiling I may become a seasoned teacher: one who is confident, comfortable, and capable of leading little minds and hearts through as they learn more about themselves and the world. Becoming a teacher, or boiling in a pot of lentils, may not be the most delicious, comfortable, or exciting affair. Nonetheless, this process is necessary if I am going to become the best "lentil" that I can be. 

    I think I might try to make lentil soup. Who knows? It might be better than I could ever imagine.