Life...: On Friendship...

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

On Friendship...

So I haven't had a lot of extra time lately to blog. But today I was looking through some poems and found one that I really liked, so of course I felt compelled to share!

For me, it is more than just a poem about love. It not only sums up how I feel about Anthony but also how my students make me feel. I know that I am loved everyday! As you know I have recently begun working with children that are Autistic. As you may also know, working with these children has and is, making me a better person. And I am more rewarded than challenged. One looking in from the outside may be judgmental about the class I work with, they may have preconceived notions, they may wonder how WE do our jobs everyday and still maintain a positive outlook on life.

I stay positive because I know in my heart, that these small blessings called children, love me. And I love them.

“I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.
I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over -
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there.
For drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.”

~Roy Croft

*So here's to being a FANTASTIC teacher, one day, because this is what it's all about!

3 comments:

ChelsieNovember 9, 2010 at 7:11 PM
yes... children... small blessings... right...
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JessicaNovember 9, 2010 at 7:14 PM
I'm shocked! You Ms. Pait - are NEVER sarcastic, glad to see I'm rubbing off on you :)
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wiltonDecember 28, 2010 at 9:46 AM
is this Ms.Jessica from Rivermont? hello, how r u doing?
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Things I Love the Most:

Things that I love the most:

The way Meagan says I love you, it melts my heart, oh and
the once I year I get to see my nephews, because I miss them so much!

The smell of honeysuckle when the spring wind blows,
and how the sunlight heats my face.

The feeling of falling in love, and the hard work it takes to stay there.

Post-It notes, school supplies, new pens and pink erasers.

Pouring my heart out on this blog, and not caring who reads it because it is who I am.

Books for kids, books for adults, books about life, books about love and books on self-improvement.

Laughter, the kind that makes you cry or pee in your pants, laughing at the silly things life holds and at the mistakes I make.

The way a child's face lights up when they realize they do "get it", and knowing that I helped them get there.

Instant gratification, even if it takes a while to get.

Peanut M&M's and decorated cupcakes, but most of all enjoying them with a friend.

The way he pushes my buttons since I'm so cute when I'm angry, and then we laugh.

Having a tiny hand in mine as we walk to the park, when you know you are their protector and guide, and somehow they know they are yours.

The smell of suntan lotion in the summer, the sun at the beach, and the pages of an old book.

Good friends, the kind you consider your family, the ones that don't leave when times are rough, the ones that don't disappear when life goes off course, the ones that don't quit or let you quit when you are tired.

Crossword puzzles, learning new words and their meanings, and then using them in a sentence so someone else can learn them too.

Most of all, I love life, I love the little things in life, the big things in life, the dreams that do come true, the fairy tale that awaits and knowing that God does have a plan, even if I don't know the outcome, I know - that my life is the way it is for a reason.

Favorite Poem:

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold the future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We must provide yeast that produces affects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way....

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
~from a poem by Archbishop Oscar Romero

Where I'm From...

Where I’m From

I am from that old wood stove that crackled and hissed at night,

By the rocking chair where you were held tight.

I’m from up the hill, under the pine tree where the sap stuck to my toes

From the mile long clothesline stretched across the yard,

From the home inside that buzzed in the summer and stung my nose.

I’m from the swimming hole filled with tadpoles that hatched,

From the toads under Granny’s trailer we used to catch.

I’m from the sweet smell caught in the breeze,

OH that honeysuckle made me sneeze.

I’m from the bus stop where I got my first kiss,

And when my daddy found out he was....

I’m from Andy Griffith reruns, Heman and She-ra shows, cassette tapes I made for my friends, star bright, light bright, and bears that cared.

From leg warmers to rolled down socks, tight rolled pants and where turtle necks, and sweaters, were paired.

I’m from the Little House on Prairie and plenty of Hail Mary’s,

From standing on my knees and those old rosary beads.

I’m from that pan of shepherds’ pie for

which I despised.

I’m from snow so deep you couldn’t see my house,

Even though I was tiny as a mouse.

Christmas with cookies and milk, stockings that hang, newspaper wrapping that covered a doll, when all I wanted was a basketball

OH- and turkey for carving.

Where I’m from you’re not made of glass, children are seen and not heard and we don’t have enough money to heat the whole world,

and by the way eat your veggies because children in Africa are starving.

These are my memories,

Those were the days.

To Be A Teacher Means...

To embrace diversity and love every smile regardless of learning ability, physical capability, color, race, religion, or any other discrimination people face.

To not only love to teach people to think for themselves, but love to be ever learning and ever evolving into something greater.

To try not to change the world, but to change a child, make them be their best even if you have to give them a piece of your soul.

To be your best everyday, even when it seems that you have given your all.

To fight for social justice, because it is right, moral and a social necessity.

To know that teaching has its successes and its failures. If a teacher isn't making mistakes then they are probably not taking risks.

To take risks and learn from the mistakes.

To have a classroom that feels like a home, where I, my students and their parents can feel comfortable and loved.

To overcome the daily challenges of teaching with a smile on my face and a warm heart.

To teach the "unteachable" - to have someone learn something when every other teacher said they were "unteachable".

To not lecture of group of young minds, but lead them through thoughts and questions they have about the world.

To know, I am good at what I do because it is my passion - not just a paycheck.

To always remember I was born to teach, and this I shall do - someday :)