A Confession...

...I am a pack rat! Those of you that know me well, have probably heard stories of the letters from high school that I still have...notebooks full of letters from RJ and close friends...crazy, I know, but I save everything! So, as I've been unpacking, I've been finding some pretty cool stuff. I had a box of cards from college that I was going through the other day. Most of them were from my 21st b-day, but there were also some from Christmas...there was one that stood out to me...

It was a Christmas card from a random guy that was in my bowling class (yes, I said bowling...I took it twice...not because I failed, but because I needed 2 PE credits and that was one of the easiest ways to get them!). Anyway, I do not remember this person at all...which is another reason this card stood out to me...his name is Matthew. And, as most college students do when you meet someone new...we must have discussed our majors and what we wanted to do with our lives, which, of course, meant that I shared with him that I wanted to be a teacher...here is what he said about that in the card...

There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to be a wonderful teacher. One of my first impressions of you was that you had an unconditional compassion for humanity in general. I don't see that in many people, and it makes even a cynical guy like me think positively about the future.

I don't share this to boast, but instead to ask myself 2 questions...

1. Do I still exude that unconditional compassion for humanity? I sure hope so. I think that people who know me would say that I am compassionate...I hope that people that first meet me can see this too...that is the type of person I want to be. It is easy to be hardened by circumstances and the world around us, but I hope that I always keep the joy and compassion no matter the situation.


2. If he (or anyone else) met me today (after being in the classroom for 10 years), would they still think/say that about me and my profession...would I seem passionate about what I do or callused by the parts of it that are less than appealing...like upset and/or hovering parents, discipline issues, paperwork, etc etc... It is easy to say right now since I am on a summer break, but my goal for the coming year(s) is to show compassion and passion to my students...that I will be a catalyst to their being driven to learn...math and life lessons.