George Bernard Shaw said, "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility of our future." As a teacher, I say, "Right on, George!" I love my profession, my life's work, because I am a life-long learner. I cultivate life-long learners. I share heavily in the responsibility of future generations. Think of a pond, calm and placid, and imagine throwing a stone into that pond. Can you see the ripples? That's what we do as educators. And on my hardest days, when I feel utterly defeated and question my sanity and career choice, I try to think about the impact that I may have had on a child that I know nothing about. We all have been there. We all have felt defeat. But, we all have opportunities that no other career field has. Think about your impact. It means everything, especially now.
Impact
Imagine yourself-
A pebble-
dove gray smooth,
spherical
gently tossed
into air
landing in still water,
a mirrored pond,
reflecting sky, cotton ball clouds,
buttered sun,
and faces peering in...
dove gray
and spherically smooth,
you plop,
skimming the surface,
barely creating a splash.
Oh, but the ripples begin-
small at first
a seemingly
insignificant impact
on a mirrored surface;
but those rippled circles
grow and grow
like watery sound waves,
ruffling sky, clouds, sun, faces-
so that they change,
blend and bubble
from center to shore.
And the quick-silver water
washes you tenderly
toward sandy silt
to the heart of the pond
where you will endure
and reflect robin's egg sky...
cotton ball clouds...
butter sun...
and children's faces,
peering in.
By Tracy Willis
copyright 2015 Tracy Willis
No comments