TEACHERS -
August
Our children are back to school now and emphasis is placed on
bus schedules, books, new clothes, homework, sports, tests---the
list goes on.
I would like to salute the
teachers that will be influencing our children’s lives for the
next 10 months. I want to share a small story that I received
from a friend.
* * * * *
The dinner guests were sitting
around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to
explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid
going to learn from someone who decides his best option in life
is to become a teacher?”
He reminded the other guests of
the old saying about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who
can’t, teach.” To emphasize his point, he said to another guest,
“You’re a teacher, Mary. Be honest. What do you make?”
Mary, who had a reputation for
honesty, replied, “You want to know what I make? I make students
work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ seem
like Congressional Medal of Honor for a student who has tried
their best. I make students sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence.
“You ask what I make? I make
students wonder. I make them question. I make them criticize. I
make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them
read, read, and read some more. I make them show all their work
in math and perfect their final version of a report.
“I make them understand that if
you have the brains and follow your heart and, if someone ever
tries to judge you by what you make, you must pay no attention
because that person just didn’t learn.”
Mary paused and then said, “You
want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you
make?”
* * * * *
I have talked to some young
college graduates recently who are now teaching. I know these
people are teaching because the priority in their lives is to
make a difference for the younger generation. Experienced
teachers hate to retire, because they have seen the influence a
good teacher can have on a young person’s life.
Remember, a teacher actually
spends more time with a student than most parents. THANK A
TEACHER TODAY!
|