Impact

Student: “You said you might forget. Did you forget?”

Teacher: “I forget everything.”

Student “Everything?”

Teacher: “Well, not everything, no.”

Student “Okay.”

Teacher: “I remember feeling sad and nervous.”

Learner: “Me too.”

Silence

Learner: “Do you want to try again?”

Silence

Teacher nods.

Student: “Do you know what I mean?”

Teacher: “I think so.”

Student: “I’m sorry. I felt SO afraid of losing you that I couldn’t get the words out when I was impacted.”

Teacher: “Impacted?”

Student: “When you stopped responding. It was a brutally abrupt turn.”

Teacher cringes. “I’m sorry.”

Silence.

Teacher: “I forget that I have impact.”

Student: “You have a lot of impact.”

Teacher: “That’s what I keep forgetting.”

Student: “But you had more power here. You can’t forget your impact when you have more power.”

Silence.

Teacher: “No. I can’t.”

Student: “That’s the responsibility that comes with it.”

Teacher: “Responsibility. You’re right. You’re a good teacher.”

Silence.

Teacher: “I’m sorry I invited you in and then left.”

Student: “Yeah.”

Teacher: “What was my impact?”

Student: “I felt confused and hurt. You helped me feel more free. I didn’t expect to have to set myself free from you too.”

Teacher: “How did you?”

Student: “I decided I was bigger than you.”

Teacher: “Were you?”

Student: “No. But I needed to think so for a while.”

Silence

Teacher: “What do you know now?”

Student: “I’m not little.”

Teacher: “No, you’re not.”

Silence

Teacher: “I’m embarrassed to be so new to letting people in.”

Student: “I’m embarrassed to be so new to kicking people out.”

Teacher: “Are you angry at me?”

Student: “Not really. I got enough.”

Silence

Student: “You’re such a bad ass!”

Teacher: “So are you!”

Student: “That’s funny, last time, we talked about how we were both “good.”

Teacher: “Balance.”

Student: “Convergence!”