Impacting Lives Year After Year

I spent the day sitting next to one of the most important people in my son, Ryan's life. This lady believed in him. She saw in him the sense of humor and compassion for others. Her job as his special ed teacher was to teach him what was so hard for him to grasp. Although, they were not always successful at the book learning part, the relationship they shared mattered far more. She never let his wiggles or his difficulty to grasp academic concepts define who he was as a person. The celebration was of his strengths. Ryan knew Mrs. Kieltyka appreciated who he was for who he was not for what he could achieve. Thank you Jennifer. I am honored to call you a colleague as well as a friend.

As we approach another political firestorm and education once again is made out to be filled with greedy, uncaring, lazy, incompetent union members, I want to stand up for the truth.

The truth is educators are caring, life shaping individuals who spend their hard earned pay to motivate and encourage the kids they teach. Summers are spent attending workshops or webinars to hone their impact on the academic and emotional life of their kiddos. Elementary teachers spend more time with youngsters than their own parents. They  take a group of kids from vastly different backgrounds and form them into a family that works as a team to achieve their best. Not only do they deliver an overwhelming amount of curriculum, they comfort, guide, and inspire.

Of course there are educators who are bad apples. That is the truth in all professions from doctors to sales clerks but the majority of teachers have one goal in mind, to help kids see all the possibilities that are at their fingertips.

I heard a speaker once explain the reason teachers are so underpaid while others make a fair wage. His thought was that if you ask a plumber why he is a plumber, her will never say to see crap run smoothly through pipes. The plumber plumbs for the $$$$. But if you ask a teacher why she teaches her answer will be complex but will never even mention the $.

 Our motivation is kids and the futures we hope to help them achieve. This is a selfless group. And I am grateful to all the amazing people who impacted my 4 kids lives in our hometown. Thank you Jennifer for loving on Ryan and the rest of my brood. It mattered and it matters to each of them and to me.

In Him,
Joyful