Don Quixote – all the optimism a teacher needs

In his blog post “La Mancha and the Heart of a Teacher” Pete Reilly draws a parallel between how Don Quixote, the famous ‘knight of woeful countenance’, sees Aldonza and how teachers (should) see their pupils:

I believe it is essential for teachers to have the heart of ‘Don Quixote’, the Man of La Mancha. Don Quixote sees the beauty in life; and he sees the inner beauty of the people around him including Aldonza, a hard hearted and angry whore. Quixote sees her as Dulcinea, a virtuous lady, and treats her as such.

And Pete Reilly’s appeal to teachers is:

I wish every teacher could see the best that lies hidden in their students. I wish every teacher would do their best to bring that ‘best’ to the surface.

He uses appropriate video clips from the film made of Dale Wasserman and Mitch Leigh‘s musical “Man of La Mancha” with Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren as lead characters. (They moved me again, as they usually do.)