Today I had a much better day in the classroom than yesterday, mostly because I was more steadfast. I was firmer and more unwavering in purpose. I had specific and orderly lesson plans and followed them unshakably from start to finish. I always prepare a lesson plan, of course, but for these I had taken a few extra minutes to raise the level of my resolve, and it brought results. I went through the lessons like a sea captain who has charted the course and knows precisely where he’s going. This doesn’t mean I was stubbornly plowing my way through the lessons. In fact, I felt like the lessons were actually teaching themselves, like my firmness of purpose was doing the work and I was merely following along. I felt very little “ego” in my teaching, which is always, for me, a good sign. It was as if I was standing “outside” the teaching and just quietly observing. I was neither anxious nor fastidious, because I somehow knew that everything that was happening was exactly what should be happening. Since it was steadfast teaching, it was also serene and certain teaching.