With all the BS, Why Teach?

I could not sleep after walking the dog in the middle of the night. It had rained and thundered since midday and the dog hates stormy weather. So, at 2;20 AM, I was awakened and got my shoes on and walked the dog. 

Upon making it safely back inside, from a successful dog walk spurspectivel, I grabbed my iPhone and deleted the spam emails. I addicted to social media. There, I admit it I checked the notifications on my Facebook newsfeed and flipped to my Radarscope app to check storm locations. Speed reading the notifications, I noticed a couple of comments on my Summertime 2014 photo album. After clicking on the link and reading and indicating I "Liked" the comments I had one of those rare moments of inspirations to write down my thoughts. Blogging takes a huge effort on my part. I'm a horrible writer. I write the way I talk-- Redneck and proud. 

On the comment notifications, one of my former students and my mother caught my attention. My former student is now a an experienced elementary teacher. She earned a Masters degree and National Board Certified.  She is also my daughter's sister-in-law. She commented on my photo album saying, "it's so funny...when I see your pics each day I think, John [Blake] is so awesome with technology. And then the teacher in me, that has actually grown to enjoy teaching science, remembers how awesome you were as a science teacher and the majority of your pics are about science, weather, and nature! She continues, her comment on Facebook in a reply to my mother's comment discussed below. "I loved having John as a teacher Grandma! We had so much fun in his class because he was passionate about what he was teaching! It makes a difference in the impact you have in your classroom!" 

In a comment by my 88 year old mother and retired college professor, she reminded me to celebrate my successes. Life is like a war. Days with their changes are like battles. Parents can be various types of participants. I've been blessed with loving supportive parents. They still teach. This Favebook comment is a lesson we all need to remember when we are wondering why the hell we got into education or any career. Work hard, be passionate, listen more than you talk, and It's all about the children. 

"You should make a copy of AT's complement and FRAME it!Nice to know your efforts were appreciated!" --Dr. Eugenia Q. Blake. 

Thanks for the kind words Amanda Tedder and thanks for my mother's comments.