Things I wish I could say . . .

Today was our staff meeting at work. We have them every Wednesday, but only once where we come together as a group. It is a nice time to catch up, make sure we understand our common goals, and discuss strategies for improvement.

One of the great things is that we have a wonderful principal. She is amazing. She expects a lot from us, but she is wholehearted in her support. I thought I liked our last principal, but I am so grateful we have our new one. She bought every single one of her staff members, from the teachers to the cooks, a book about teaching children in poverty. I am very interested to read the book. I want to understand more. The book is called, Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen. It illustrates what poverty does to the brain and what, we as the people who teach kids in poverty, can do to teach them better. It is here that I would like to thank my parents. There were times of affluence, there were times we had very little, but what I appreciate is that they did not allow us, in those times of scarcity, to adopt a "poor" mindset. Whether we had money or not, we had nightly meals as a family. When we couldn't afford a fancy trip somewhere, my dad would load us in the car and take us somewhere educational - and free. We were (and are) big readers. You can get books from the library, even if you have no money - you can entertain yourself and learn. I appreciate their guidance in those times more than most of the things I learned in life.

So, today, at our meeting, our principal was encouraging us. Thanking each of us for the work we put in. She said she appreciated that when she asked us to do something, we just do it. We don't show up with our contracts and say - "That's not in my job description." I loved hearing how she sees her staff. What things other people are doing for the good of our students.

And it hit me. A wall of tears I was fighting like the dickens to hold back. You see, what I really wanted to do was stand up and say . . .

As many of you know, I lost my grandfather over Christmas break. He was the best kind of person you could ever hope to meet. He was hardworking. He was curious. He was creative. He had a great sense of humor. He loved learning. It hit me the other night, that I had never asked him if he had had a favorite teacher. Who had inspired him to keep learning, despite all his obstacles? Why, even though he left school after the 8th grade to work to help his widowed mother, why did he still seek out learning opportunities? Why would he rather read a book than watch TV? And why, when he did watch TV, was the dial permanently set on PBS? Why was the thing we, as his family, missed the most when we were in his home after his funeral, was him going to get an encyclopedia, and atlas, and almanac - to find answers to our questions?

I wanted to tell my friends and co-workers this . . .

You never know how far your reach will extend. You will never know if the person you teach today, will someday be someone's grandfather. And that someone's grandfather will be the person who, in turn, inspires another whole generation to love learning. To go get the encyclopedia. To look at a map. To find the answers to questions. You may never know that person's children, their grandchildren, or their great-grandchildren. So, when you want to give up on a child - don't. You have the power to change lives for all time.