I read a few SS entries on Sunday night and was benignly inspired to write a treatise on how Jesus is not (and should not be called), "hero." He is 100% man and 100% Deity. Heroes are human. Heroes live in limited time/space and deal with nothing close to omnipotence.
Heroes take old cardboard boxes and help students turn them into mythical beasts.
I, am Hero. I live in a limited time and space and operate in limited capacity. As teacher, in the public school, I am reminded every day of my limited ability and yet, have the juxtaposed reality of 30 bright faces staring in my direction, expectantly. How strange, to know that you are the object of hope, peace and self-concept. I am Hero. Yes, I capitalize my alias. For that is the calling I am blessed with everyday.
Mom cried when I told her that her daughter was improving her scores in math. You see, K hated math. Actually, to be more open - she said she hated men. She told me that after she boldly announced to the entire class, "I am a vegetarian and my mom who has brain cancer and I hate men." I apologized for all men and told her that I know I was her first man teacher. After that, I began to tell everyone about her intellect, her insight, her ability to understand and bring joy to others'. She flourished and brought me an apple and homemade cookies. I gloated over her baking ability and her way of being creative with the pecans. K told me that her mom found out she was in "remention." and wanted to know what that was. I smiled and the next day we had a donut party for her and talked about remission. I, Hero, poured my life into her and gave her hope. She said that she still hates men - but only ones that hit her - and then leaves. I hate those kind of guys too. Mom cried when she told me, choking back the tears, "thank you Mr. G., K hasn't liked school for the past 4 years. I looked up, and in typical hero-fashion, pointed my finger to the rafters and said, "don't thank me, thank Him." She winked and from behind her head scarf I saw a tuft of hair fall. I commented that I didn't know she had blonde hair, and left.
This Hero also has a secret tool belt (that I use to assist all the other teachers that leave their tools back home).
This Hero makes the coffee every morning for all staff.
This Hero gets the calls to fix the computers.
This Hero uses his super powers of faith, to trust every free and reduced lunch student or migrant student to bring his $49 text book back to class.
This Hero calls home to brag about more of his students than to complain about their "lack of effort to meet their true potential."
This Hero dies a bit everyday when he realizes that he could have done more.
4 comments:
You are a wonderful teacher. Your students are very lucky. My prayers are with K and her Mom.
You have been a Hero for many years. Before I allowed your Heroness in my life, I watched you. I wanted to make sure you were real. You were. You are. Still changing lives. Still letting young girls know good men exist. K's life will be changed. By you. By your response to her. She is, like I did, soaking it up, storing it away. Nuggets of gold that will glimmer and remind her that she is Worthy. Thank you for passing on the Gold that comes from the Giver, still, almost twenty years later.
Wow, you are a hero. I am constantly amazed by teachers like you. You have been given a gift and you use it. I have a good friend (the one who started me blogging) who is also an amazing teacher. Her blog isn't much about teaching (nor god as I would probably classify her as agnostic) but if you read back she posts quite often about her students and how much she loves teaching. She is at "miagoddess.blogspot.com".
Thanks for checking out my blog - it is simple but lets family and friends keep up with us.
Merry Christmas!!
That is a really wonderful post. It inspires me to want to be more of a hero myself in the lives of those I am a part of. I work as a school therapist at a high school and a lot of these kids could use more adult heroes, not in terms of rescuing them but being a hero simply by being the best role model I can be.
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