I
was recently reading about a couple’s trip to Ghana. The story goes like this…”The
couple shared a story about a smart three year old child—taking a soapy bath in
a bucket outdoors in a nice rain. She looked at the camera and grinned,
laughing about the wonderful little bath she was getting due to the rain. On
her face was a confident look of blessed joy. Her humble village had only one
deep well. ‘Children walked for miles every day to bring back their family’s
water.’ So when the skies opened and poured down rain ‘everybody grabbed
buckets and bowls, catching the water.’ Then on cue, the little girl’s mother
handed her soap and a towel,” and the child tore off her clothes, scrambled
into a bucket, and before you knew it, she was soapy from head to toe.” And…she
was laughing about it all.” She didn't even have plumbing, but she had joy!
As
I thought about this story, I reflected on my toasty, warm showers in my own
home. I thought about my comfortable bed and my refrigerator that contains all
my favorite tasty treats. I was reminded of my precious family and all the
amazing gifts that we have and should be grateful for—but often, we forget how
much others suffer or how much we REALLY ARE blessed.
Then, when I was on Twitter this weekend, I came across this Tweet (see
below). I liked the Tweet so much that I retweeted it, and then a local reading
coach and another principal retweeted my Tweet. This really brought it home to
me …the thought of how much of a blessing we are to our students. We are often
the only smiling face a child sees, and some of them prefer our classroom to
their homes. Please remember, as we begin this school year anew in 2014--
remember that you make the difference for our students. Love them, listen to
them, and equip them with the skills they need to create a safe and successful
future. Ask them about something they did over the break. Build those
relationships. They will love you for it!
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