Be True to Your School

There are things people do, but they do not define who they are. Every day there are people who commute to their jobs and make lattes, ring up groceries, write up insurance policies, and litigate law suits.

Then there are the people whose occupation is more than a job. The occupation becomes then a vocation, or a calling. My parish priest is a very holy man who I know lives and breathes his vows nearly every moment of his life. His relationship with Christ and his serving as a shepherd of Christ's children defines who he is and how he lives his life.

I know police officers like this, and soldiers. In previous lives I have been a student, a benefits administrator, a bank teller, and a leadership trainer. Other than the trainer (at times) none of these jobs become a vocation. Now my life is defined by being a mom. In my role as mom, I am a manager and coordinator, a mediator, a psychologist, a chauffeur, and many, many other things. But those tasks I perform do not define me; I do them, but I am a mom.

Some of you know this, but there is a special place in my heart for teachers. My oldest sister, while technically an adult educator, is a teacher. As a trainer, sometimes I am a teacher. I know that to teach effectively, you need to feel it passionately and whole-heartedly. It cannot be just something you do; you need to let the knowledge become infused with your passion and then, and only then, can you fly as a teacher. Only then will your students really learn.

Remember the old adage, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach?" I've always found that so disparaging, and yet, we all know teachers who actually should have left the classroom long before they entered it. They become teachers because they have no other plan in life, abandoned some other dream, or thought they had what it takes to "shape up those rotten kids."

It is a rare bird who not only teaches children well, but who also loves them, respects them, connects with them, and imparts the knowledge that is required for tests as well as the knowledge that will serve them best in life. In my lifetime, I have met only a few such angels. One was my favorite college professor, Dr. James Watt. His love and passion for teaching 17th century poetry and prose, and for nurturing my enthusiasm for the written word, were the keys to making me understand how much I loved the music and song of words.

My friend Greg is an extraordinary teacher and mentor. This year he is tackling a job that no teacher pursues by choice: 8th grade Language Arts. And yet he chose it. He made the decision to lend his love, his passion, his tenacity in an area that no other teacher at our school wanted. Amidst the apathy of 13 year olds and the antagonism of colleagues who are jealous of his talents, he not only performs superbly in his job, he lives out his vocation.

I am in awe of this man, a person who I feel so blessed to have in my life and who trusts me enough to take me into his. It is not often I take new friends into my inner circle; I am wary and cynical. Recently he introduced me to some of his students; he referred to me as "a close friend, and probably the smartest person I know." I was deeply touched and humbled. To be accepted by someone who is as cautious of people as I am is, for me, an incredible feat and honor.

In all that you do, remember who you are. In all that you are, I hope you are true to yourself.