I just received this from my teachers' union today and I feel I must share it.
What Teachers Make
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the “problem” with education.
He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
To stress his point, he said to another guest, “You’re a teacher, Susan. Be honest. What do you make?”
Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make C+ feel like the winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them read, read, read. I make them critical thinkers. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them show all their work in math and perfect their final drafts in English class. I make them understand that if you have the brains and follow your heart, you have the best chance of happiness. That if someone ever tries to judge you by the money you make, you must pay no attention because they just didn’t learn to value what is most important in life.”
Susan paused and then continued, “You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?”
NOT all success is measured in dollars and cents:)
This is actually taken from a poem by Taylor Mali (http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=51) the actual text of which can be found here: http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=13. I think the original is superior.
ReplyDelete