MY REAL EDUCATION

Melanie Ann Wahlberg

Up to this point, my adult life has been spent mostly in a college setting—first as a student, and then for a couple of years as a professor. Mathematics was my main focus during this time. What I found, though, was that my most valuable lessons weren't about math. My real education was a spiritual one. I was learning that all of us—my classmates, my professors, my students, and I—are children of God.

This realization didn't immediately solve all classroom problems, but it did help me to value everyone's spiritual nature. In some respects, I came to feel that the subject matter we were studying was a backdrop for learning more about spirituality. This perspective on my work was an antidote to fear, self-doubt, competitiveness, and pride. One recent example stands out to me.

Last year one of my students questioned almost every explanation I gave the class. I felt picked on and even defensive. The other students didn't like the interruption, either. After a few weeks of simply enduring this behavior, I realized that I was not living up to my responsibility as a teacher. The whole class—and the teacher—deserved a peaceful and productive learning experience.

I turned to God for guidance. As I prayed, I realized that I needed to put aside the opinions I currently had of this student, and instead admit that he, too, was a loved child of God. He was cared for in every way by God. This divine caring included satisfaction in his classes. He didn't need to interrupt the class.

This insight took the sting out of his comments. I realized that the confrontation was not personal. In fact, I gained respect for him because of his desire to learn. Correctly channeled, this is an extremely desirable trait in a college student! From then on, my commutes to school were different. Instead of planning how I would deal with him, I began to affirm how lovable he was as a child of God. Kindness, interest, thoughtfulness, and patience were natural to him. I knew that I also expressed these qualities and did not have to feel defensive or under attack.

I felt peaceful, and the turnaround in class was almost immediate. His questions took on a much more respectful tone, and I was able to appreciate points he brought up in class. The class became fun again!

I've now left the college setting, but my education—my learning about everyone's true nature—continues. I'm just using a different backdrop.

Melanie Ann Wahlberg
Bensalem, Pennsylvania

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