Philosophy - are we teachers, or lifelong learners?

 Hi all,

As I ponder my 17 years in education (more if you consider all the years I was a student in academia) I notice that I am at my best, as an educator, when I consider the possibility that I might learn from my students.  What might I gain, if I was open to their sense of wonder, to their knowledge about life from their perspective?  

To be clear: I know I'm a subject matter expert and that this means that I will be more often correct about math or computer science or grammar.  However, being open to potentially learning from my students also means I am open to their experiences, and they might consider sharing things about their life with me.  I also, sometimes on purpose, commit small faux pas, small mathematical blunders, just to let them know it's ok to do so and make sure they are paying attention (sometimes they even catch me, lol).  This vulnerability leads directly to the growth mindset, to the idea that they can also learn and grow and improve, and that mistakes can teach us how to do so.