Sever Panim

One of the most difficult, day-to-day realities for a teacher (and a parent) to internalize:

Rava said: ‘If you see a student for whom study is as difficult as iron, it is because the teacher does not show him a favorable disposition (Taanit 8a).

Going through the day-to-day pulse of a school from the sublime (powerful Tefilla experiences, a class that simply went great) to the banal (arranging buses, attendance) and everything in between, makes it difficult to internalize, recall and actualize Rava's powerful words.

But that is what the students need. Above all else.

Toni Morrison said what Rava already knew:

...[W]hen a kid walks in the room - your child or anybody else's child - does your face light up? ...that's what they're looking for. When my children used to walk in the room, when they were little, I looked at them to see if they had buckled their trousers or if their hair was combed or if their socks were up. And so you think your affection and deep love is on display because you're caring for them. It's not. When they see you, they see the critical face. ...[L]et your face speak what's in your heart. It's just as small as that, you see.