[Vision2020] Teachers

[Tom Hansen]

"One Hundred Years From Now"
by Forest Witcraft

One Hundred Years from now
 It will not matter
 what kind of car I drove,
 What kind of house I lived in,
 how much money was in my bank account
 nor what my clothes looked like.
 But the world may be a better place because
 I was important in the life of a child.

---------------------------------

Poem by Kevin William Huff

Teachers
 Paint their minds
 and guide their thoughts
 Share their achievements
 and advise their faults

Inspire a Love
 of knowledge and truth
 As you light the path
 Which leads our youth

For our future brightens
 with each lesson you teach
 Each smile you lengthen
 Each goal you help reach

For the dawn of each poet
 each philosopher and king
 Begins with a Teacher
 And the wisdom they bring

---------------------------------

"Teacher's Prayer" Author Unknown

Lord, Please help me,
 To strengthen their voices,
 bodies and minds,
 To express their feelings and
 control them sometimes,
 To explore what's near
 and venture afar,
 But most important to love
 who they are.

---------------------------------

Hebrew Proverb

 "A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit."

---------------------------------


THE CREATION OF THE TEACHER


Author Unknown

The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime'
and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would
touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel
appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one
out."

"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:


must stand above all students, yet be on their level
 ... must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being
taught
 ... must run on coffee and leftovers,
 ... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right
most of the time
 ... must have more time for others than for herself/himself
 ... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic
children, and worried parents
 ... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are
not supportive
 ... must have 6 pair of hands.

"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible"
 "Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem.  It
is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"

The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"

The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and
not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back
of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be
known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts
out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you",
without so much as saying a word to the child."

"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you
should work on it tomorrow".

"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating
something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is
sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a
special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her
own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never
takes the students for granted..."

The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating.
 "It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.

"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this
teacher can endure or do, if necessary".

"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.

"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."

The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his
finger  over the teacher's cheek.

"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I
told you that you were putting too much into this model.  You can not
imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."

The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the
teacher's cheek.  It shone and glistened in the light.

"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."

"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"

The Lord replied with great thought, "It is for the joy and pride of
seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness
of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for
the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to
reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in
themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year
and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new
class."

"My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"
 The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."

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Hazeltine Avenue Elementary School (1963)
Van Nuys, California

Robert Fulton Junior High School
Van Nuyus, California

Robert Nobel Junior High School (1966)
Northridge, California

Chatsworth High School (1969)
Chatsworth, California

University of Idaho (1996)
Moscow, Idaho

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho