edrethink: You Can't Pay Me to Be a Better Teacher: I'm exhausted tonight. It's my day without a prep and as I look back on my to-do list, I realize that I over-estimated my potential by about...
It never was about the money. It's about fulfillment. It's about leaving this world a better place than you found it! It's about the ultimate paying it forward. Teachers influence the upcoming generations. Politicians believe they do and I believe that's why they try to denigrate teachers and education. They try but we succeed just by being there everyday. By researching what we do, improving when a lesson fails to work and going above and beyond!!
It's hard to explain this to someone who values "stuff" over "substance." "Stuff" is what we accumulate, money, electronic gizmos, clothes, etc. "Substance" is an intangible. It's how you feel about life, the world, society and yourself.
How many people can look back and say I didn't get enough "stuff" at the end of their lives? From my years as a teacher, an advisor and a mentor, I hope I can look forward to seeing how far those who have allowed me to touch their lives go and make changes in their worlds and ours.
I want to thank all my students, advisees, friends and family for sharing part of their journeys! I would say go forth and multiply but I'm not a math teacher. But I will say, I hope each of you loves life enough to continue trying to make it a better place for future generations. You may not get to see it but someone will remember you were there!!
Godspeed!
