Stickler

I like challenging my students, but I don't want to be a jerk about it either. I like being able to present them with a new idea, a new dilemma, a new perspective, a new scenario and see how they work their way through it or around it.

It's through this process that we find enlightenment. People learn more about a topic by working out an answer than just being told the answer. Even if the journey leading to the answer presents more questions, struggling with those questions can lead to even more answers. And so on. And so forth.

Not that there are any plain and simple answers in Pagan Edumacation. I was once told that I chose to be Pagan because I was lazy, that I didn't have make an effort to follow the rules because there is no Pagan doctrine, no Bible. There's no central Pagan authority to guide me, to keep me safe.

In my opinion, being Pagan is not for the lazy because I have to find my own answers to life's questions. I have to do my own research and come up with my own answers. On top of it all, those answers can change from day to day. Everytime I think I reach the top of the mountain, the clouds part to reveal another slope.

Whereas in other "documented" faiths, they provide you with a map that clearly indicates how tall the mountain is, where to go (to be safe), and where not to go. And if you discover another mountain top, the Faith Sherpa will tell you that it's either Not There or it's a Not To Go part of the mountain.

All this to say that, while I like to unveil new parts of the mountain to my students, I'm keenly aware that there's a fine line between challenging them and being a butthead about it.

I'm learning still. They're learning still.