I’ve been thinking lately that, as a teacher, I would like to be like the wind. The wind does wonderful things, exerts its power in myriad marvelous ways, and yet no ever sees it. We see the effects of the wind (waving branches, rippling flags, a wild surf) but never the wind itself. We could say that the wind, in a sense, is humble. It stays invisible while its ever-changing efforts continue to alter the landscape. As a teacher, I guess I’d like to become more and more invisible. I’d like to have what I do become less showy and front-and-center, and more reserved and out-of-sight. Like the wind, I’d like my presence to be almost invisible, so that the effects of my lessons (the students’ growth as readers and writers) can be the focus of attention. The wind doesn’t need to be seen to have an impact, and neither do I.