This short essay, together with a group of images, will demonstrate how teachers and students perceive the learning and teaching process. The ugly duckling: teachers see learning Teachers see learning as a process of transformation: students transform from ugly ducklings to elegant swans. On this long journey, students must undergo intense training, whose learning is always accompanied by emotions such as fear, doubts and anxiety. Students fear making mistakes, doubt their skills, and are often anxious about their performance. Teachers know that these are inevitable negatives in learning, and therefore they will need to create a safe classroom in which students can pick themselves up from the fall. “If you get trapped, you have to keep dancing.” This famous quote from the film Scent of a Woman (1992) accurately describes the transformation process. Furthermore, teachers know that they are never stage wise; they are simply a lateral guide. Just as the picture shows, the ballet is performed without a teacher, the learning must ultimately be achieved by the students themselves. Therefore, teachers will intentionally model students to be self-directed learners. In a safe classroom, teachers allow students to make mistakes, set reasonably high expectations for students to grow, and push students out of their comfort zone so they learn from swinging to swimming. Eventually, teachers can step away from students, letting them perform on a big stage called life. The Bright Side: Teachers See Teaching This image captures a moment when a teacher is addressing challenging behavior in the classroom and controlling wayward emotions. The climate of a classroom changes like the unpredictable winter temperature in College Station,...... middle of paper...... video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8umk4w8kB8Foucault, M. (1995), Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison (2nd ed. Sheridan, A. Trans.). NY: Vintage Books. ISBN-10: 0679752552Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S., & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Adult learning: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, California: Jossey-BassPalmer, Parker J. (2007). The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, 10th Anniversary Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Robinson, K. (2007, January 06). Sir Ken Robinson: Schools kill creativity [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtYScent of a Woman. (1992). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105323/quotesWarhol, A. (1967). Untitled by Marilyn Monroe [Print]. Retrieved from http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=61239