I guess that this will be the last part of this particular subject. One of the things that I have not touched on yet is what to do when students and teachers have disagreements. This can be a touchy subject for some but it is something that you need to hear, not only if you are a student but also if you are a teacher as well.
The whole idea of the student/teacher relationship is to ensure that the student gets the educational and emotional support they need as they start out their walk on this path. I strive to ensure that any student that I have is challenged to their limits not only mentally but emotionally and physically too. I don't take on students to be taking them on...in fact my last one was almost ignored and if I had my way, she would have been simply because I am not a fan of teaching. However, the Goddess had other ideas and I had no choice but to ask her to be my student. I'm glad she answered yes. Like all good students, she taught the teacher a few things too and for that I am grateful. The lessons are seldom for the student alone.
However, as the group we had been working with broke down, I cautioned her to not become overly involved with the other students. She was not ready to be a teacher and I KNEW...10000% KNEW that they saw her as a pseudo-teacher since she had spent a year working with me and was more advanced then they were. Despite my repeated cautions in this area, she chose not to listen to me and in the end she felt that I was trying to control her and dictate to her just who she could hang out with. I've agonized over this fall out...running conversations over and over in my head trying to determine if I could have said something different, could I have said it in a different way? I always come up with no...I could have said nothing more and I could not have said it differently.
While I accept the fact there are teachers out there who control their students with an iron fist, dictating all they can do, say or people they can hang out with, that has never been the case with me OR my tradition. I should know, I'm a co-founder. We built this tradition on people exploring all those things that interest them and incorporating them in to their path if it feels right to them. We don't believe that all knowledge is wrapped up in a single practice or path. It comes from everywhere and everyone.
However, as teachers we do have an obligation to protect our students, as much as possible, from taking on things that we know could harm them or others. My former students willingness to have rituals in her home and arrange get togethers around Craft related topics meant that the students of the group that broke down did not have an opportunity to step out and embrace their own path. My former student was actually stunting the growth of the others in the group. They didn't need to look elsewhere, they had her. They had her and she wasn't ready for that role yet.
Sadly she didn't see it that way and she resigned from the Clan. I hope that she finds what she is looking for and that she finds people who will see her for the amazing shaman she could be and help her along the way. Students, please know that we do have your bests interests at heart and that sometimes you just to have to take a chance on us and trust us.
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