The Lovers Card and How it Applies to Education

I was very apprehensive when it came to writing this post. I wasn't sure how to address this card since most people automatically relate this card to romantic love.

I have to admit, I thought it was pretty cool that this is the card we are talking about during the week of Valentine's Day.

So I'm sure many of you are wondering how the Lovers card applies to education. Well, let's first take a look at the imagery of the card. What should stand out is the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Taking Adam and Eve out of the equation for a minute and you are left with an idyllic place of beauty. Think back for a moment to the Fool. Remember how excited and passionate you were to start teaching, but this was before you REALLY knew what teaching would really be like? Well, now we come to a place on our journey where we have to choose love. Love is a choice and an action, not simply an emotion. At this point on the journey you have taken a leap of faith, learned the course work and gathered your materials, got creative, figured out class room management, and collaborated with colleagues....so how do you feel now? Are you enjoying it? Hating it? Feeling overwhelmed by it? To me, this is the card that asks the questions "do you really love what you do? And if not, how can you change that?"

I think this is an important card for teachers, especially when the honeymoon period ends. This is a tough job and even if it's your life's purpose, you don't always love it. Sometimes you can really hate it. I'm actually in that space right now. We just started reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Well, they were supposed to be reading it. The first quiz revealed that pretty much no one was reading it. And these were just questions to hold them accountable for reading, because if you don't hold 8th graders accountable - they will do absolutely nothing. I was appalled that they couldn't even tell me who the protagonist was or what the setting was. Needless to say, I was pissed. And they are pissed at me because they have to bring those quizzes home and return them signed back to me. So no, you aren't always going to love teaching - in fact, you won't always even like it.

So what can you do about this? The Lovers card is all about choice and making a decision. Sure, you could choose to quit. Many teachers don't last five years before throwing in the towel. But if you decide to stay, you need to choose love and harmony. You need to figure out how you are going to manifest that in your classroom. This isn't always easy to figure out, especially when you are tired, overwhelmed, and stressed. But it is important for you to make the time to sit down and visualize your classroom as your own personal Garden of Eden. And I'm not talking about having it be pretty or full of amazing gizmos, although you can certainly visualize that. I really mean visualize what your relationship with your students would look like. What would the learning look like? How would it feel in that classroom? Once you figure out how you want it to look and feel, then you need to plan action steps for creating that beautiful and harmonious classroom. Don't expect instant results! This may take a while for you to find your groove. Hell, it could take years. But if you choose love - the work and the wait will be worth it.

All my best,

Amy