Question
My role in training future teachers requires me to evaluate their work.
Sometimes I must make painful decisions that can lead to the dismissal of a young person I consider unsuited to the job.
These situations, fortunately rare, go badly (aggression, tears…).
How can I reconcile this part of my work with compassion, which I try to practice elsewhere?
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
If they are not up to standard, it is because they have not given themselves sufficient means to succeed. There are no miracles.
They may need to work more, or learning may take longer for some than for others.
It does not necessarily mean they are unsuited to the profession.
I feel a great deal of compassion for you, because making these choices must be very difficult. For those who are dismissed, if they leave thinking it is someone else’s fault. And for the students who all too often have to study with incompetent teachers.
The only thing you can do is show them the positive way they should respond to this situation.
Kosen