Elaine's Teaching Metaphor: The Lotus Blossom
“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.” ~Masaru Emoto, The Secret Life of Water
At first I struggled to find a meaningful symbol for my teaching metaphor, but I suddenly thought back to a guest speaker from my Japanese Culture class last semester, Reverend Izumi from the Lethbridge Buddhist Temple. He spoke to us about many thought-provoking things, but the one thing that really connected with me was the symbol of the lotus flower. I was born and raised in Canada but my family has always kept up some Buddhist traditions so I’ve always been close to the lotus blossom symbol without really understanding its significance or making a deep internal connection with it until this year.
The lotus blossom’s life is marked by three main stages. In the beginning the bud lies below the dense mud, in ignorance and darkness and it eventually gets pulled upwards to the warmth of the sunlight. The next part of the lotus flower’s evolution is the climb through the mucky waters, a metaphor for your emotional experiences, as it continues reaching out to the sun regardless of the environment. The last stage is when the lotus bud blossoms into a beautiful flower that can be admired by all who knows of it. Like everyone else, I’ve been through some mucky waters and I’ve made it through every time. Everything has played an important part in the person I’ve become and who I want to be. I’ve been fortunate because there has always been sunlight encouraging me to grow and never give up. My sunlight comes in the form of teachers, friends, family, and inspiring role-models I’ve met or read about. As a teacher, I’d like to be one of the sources of sunlight guiding my students through the muddy waters in which they may be struggling.
It is such a beautiful image, envisioning everyone as a lotus blossom, each with equal opportunities to blossom into a beautiful flower. When I think about this metaphor, it’s not limited to my future students. I like to think that everyone in this world is a lotus blossom and we are each on a unique journey, trying to navigate through the darkness and uncertainties of life. Understanding this concept will help me work with my students, some of which may have behavioural issues that will require careful and thoughtful analysis in order for me to figure out how I can best guide the children through these murky waters. Just like the sunlight, I hope to provide a constant and consistent source of encouragement, comfort, and faith in my students who will blossom in my classroom. Even after the school year comes to an end, I will continue to work hard on being that same source of sunlight for my students because I don’t believe in good-byes and the sun doesn’t cease to shine upon us just because our lives have changed.
The metaphor of the lotus blossom is really special to me both as a teacher and as an individual. There are bound to be many challenges ahead on this exciting journey to becoming a great educator but I just have to remember I am the sunlight for my students, but I am also a lotus blossom myself.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” ~Mulan
At first I struggled to find a meaningful symbol for my teaching metaphor, but I suddenly thought back to a guest speaker from my Japanese Culture class last semester, Reverend Izumi from the Lethbridge Buddhist Temple. He spoke to us about many thought-provoking things, but the one thing that really connected with me was the symbol of the lotus flower. I was born and raised in Canada but my family has always kept up some Buddhist traditions so I’ve always been close to the lotus blossom symbol without really understanding its significance or making a deep internal connection with it until this year.
The lotus blossom’s life is marked by three main stages. In the beginning the bud lies below the dense mud, in ignorance and darkness and it eventually gets pulled upwards to the warmth of the sunlight. The next part of the lotus flower’s evolution is the climb through the mucky waters, a metaphor for your emotional experiences, as it continues reaching out to the sun regardless of the environment. The last stage is when the lotus bud blossoms into a beautiful flower that can be admired by all who knows of it. Like everyone else, I’ve been through some mucky waters and I’ve made it through every time. Everything has played an important part in the person I’ve become and who I want to be. I’ve been fortunate because there has always been sunlight encouraging me to grow and never give up. My sunlight comes in the form of teachers, friends, family, and inspiring role-models I’ve met or read about. As a teacher, I’d like to be one of the sources of sunlight guiding my students through the muddy waters in which they may be struggling.
It is such a beautiful image, envisioning everyone as a lotus blossom, each with equal opportunities to blossom into a beautiful flower. When I think about this metaphor, it’s not limited to my future students. I like to think that everyone in this world is a lotus blossom and we are each on a unique journey, trying to navigate through the darkness and uncertainties of life. Understanding this concept will help me work with my students, some of which may have behavioural issues that will require careful and thoughtful analysis in order for me to figure out how I can best guide the children through these murky waters. Just like the sunlight, I hope to provide a constant and consistent source of encouragement, comfort, and faith in my students who will blossom in my classroom. Even after the school year comes to an end, I will continue to work hard on being that same source of sunlight for my students because I don’t believe in good-byes and the sun doesn’t cease to shine upon us just because our lives have changed.
The metaphor of the lotus blossom is really special to me both as a teacher and as an individual. There are bound to be many challenges ahead on this exciting journey to becoming a great educator but I just have to remember I am the sunlight for my students, but I am also a lotus blossom myself.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” ~Mulan