With this being the month of LOVE, the purpose of sharing these words and thoughts has been to hopefully provide a moment of quiet reflection on the LOVE in what we do.

Educators create the world by creating citizens of the future who will inherit this world from us; they can shape it and change it, though often they may not realize the influence they have. Students are like young trees and educators are the loving gardeners providing what students need to become their best – whatever that may be. In the ideal of environments, every student will remember teachers who influence their best self, inculcated their principles, knowledge, skills and virtues that will carry on throughout a lifetime, through difficult times and through decisive choices.

Return on investment? While the income of educators may be modest, the earnings are a lifetime of riches that many in our world die searching for. Satisfaction – Happiness – Respect.

There is hardly a month that goes by that I don’t think of a special former teacher for some reason or another – remembering a word, a comment, a special moment. My husband regularly talks with his former classmates and without exception a special memory of a teacher enters the conversation.

Some life readings say that most people end up with no more than ten people remembering us when we leave this world. Educators have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives. This is a kind of respect that is genuine and emerges from gratitude and LOVE, not fear.

.. so our honored profession has its own rewards unlike most other professions. It simply requires devotion, thoughtfulness, persistence, understanding and love. Yes, an educator influences and inspires the most important resource of humankind – we shape and create the future.

It’s the work of LOVE!