On Teaching: "Stars and Planets in the Classroom"

I was thinking today about a strange but helpful analogy concerning teaching. I was thinking that any given class of mine could be compared to the universe itself. Like the planets and stars, my students and I are constantly moving in perfect harmony, even though it may not always appear that way. Just as the stars may seem to be scattered in chaos across the sky, so my classroom may seem to a visitor to be abuzz with confusion. However, a trained observer would see nothing but harmonious patterns in the distant night sky, just as someone who understands how teaching and learning works might (I hope) sense the underlying harmony in my class. Another interesting part of the analogy is this: Each star and planet shines and moves in a different way, and each of us in my classroom contributes something different to the class. Some students are bright shining suns, giving light to others, while some are small planets that glow in others' light, do a good job of following their orbits, and contribute their own special beauty to the class. And the roles can change: One day I might be the sun in the galaxy of my classes, whereas another day I might be in the distant background, a tiny twinkling star on the outskirts of the discussion. What I like best about the analogy, though, is that the individual stars and planets don't control what happens in the universe, and neither do my students and I actually control what happens in the classroom. Yes, of course we control the learning in a way, but in the larger sense, in the bigger picture, the learning controls us. The vast, mysterious force of intelligence is always smoothly working out its patterns in my classroom, and my students and I are simply moving to its wonderful music. We may seem to be in control of our education, but actually a power much, much larger and smarter than us is guiding everything. This is a comforting thought. It means that, while I still have to plan my lessons carefully and my students still have to work hard to be good learners, the truth is that we are like the stars and planets. No matter what happens in class, it will be for the best. We'll still go spinning and traveling along just the way the universe wants us to.