You open the box, fully expecting victory. Your goal is to tame these thousand pieces into a complete picture. Of course, you’ve done this puzzle before (several years back) so you know it’ll certainly be easier, won’t it?! You know that this time will be different. It will be faster and easier because of muscle memory.
It’s not. It’s never the same.
The pieces are identical, but they feel different. The light is different. The thoughts in your head are certainly different. You look for similar patterns to the last time you completed this puzzle, but what’s really necessary is a fresh perspective.
This is the problem with trying to master something. Repetition really hates constant change.
We seek familiar patterns and routines. We want to be comfortable. Teaching and learning is not about assembling the same puzzle over and over again. It’s about looking at those same thousand pieces in a new light, with new eyes, and with a new understanding of everything you’ve done before.
Each student is a unique piece. Each lesson brings a different landscape. Each day is a new chance to complete the puzzle while finding new connections and new meanings.
Don’t try to memorize the solution. Instead, embrace the process. The puzzle box may look the same, but the journey is always different.
It’s never the same. Embrace it anyway.
Rich