I went out briefly today to get gas and run to the store and I heard a clip on the radio from a young woman who was inspired to become a teacher because her mother had been a teacher for 30 years. She talked about the hours (7am-6pm and work at home, on the weekends), money of her pocket, lesson plans, grading, commitment, passion and none of it was a complaint. She was proud of her work and the only thing she said was that she hoped the work teachers did wasn't undervalued. A husband was talking to the radio show host and could barely hold back tears as he talked about the commitment his wife had to her special education students. When we stop caring about the education and care of our children, we are definitely in trouble as a culture.
My heart goes out to those in New Zealand and in Japan and all the places impacted by the earthquakes and tsunamis and by the potential issues with the nuclear power plants.
Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by all the problems and tragedies in our world. I didn't feel overwhelmed today - just thoughtful. Just wondering how to participate without politicizing, how to help without growing fatigued. There is so much need and so much to do. I know we can pull through and help others. That's the good part. People step up when there is the most need. Sometimes it takes something tragic to step outside of ourselves, but if it works, then that is the lesson we have to take from it all.
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