teachers

This morning I went to see my dentist. My mouth's been feeling funny, and I worry about my root canal and my gold crown all the time. See,  I've never had any trouble with my teeth or my mouth. and just within the past year, I had a cavity -my first one - and then I needed a route canal because the filling came out on my cavity, and I didn't notice so on my regular dentist visit one day, they told me I needed a route canal. What? Oh, that was devastating for me. Anyway, my mouth hasn't been feeling right lately, so I wanted to be safe than sorry so I went to the dentist and she checked it and she took an xray. All was fine. Whew!

As I was waiting on the chair, I could hear the ladies (staff) talking and visiting out in the hall. I've been going to this dentist for years, and I love the warmness and friendliness of all the staff. I really should bring them something like cookies or brownies, or a cake. I always say or think that and I never do it. Gosh, I'm so bad about that. I say I'm going to do something, and I don't. Ugh. I must work on that.

So I was listening to the girls talking and they mentioned how it seemed like January went by in a flash...and also Christmas...and also Thanksgiving. I was nodding my  head. YES, time is going by too fast! I hate to sound like a broken record, but OMG, what the heck is it with the time going by so dang fast?!

In a different subject. I was talking with Tammy this morning and we just came across the subject of teachers. good teachers. bad teachers. mostly bad teachers. After I hung up the phone, I thought about it some more, and I began to think of my girls' teachers. all of them. from elementary school, through college. The teachers that entered our lives, I would sadly have to rate most of them as mediocre teachers. Some were nice, but non-competent teachers who didn't know what the heck they were doing. Some were mean teachers, plain mean and non-caring, and I am sad to report that only a minuscule few were wonderful teachers. I was not one of those demanding, picky parents. All I wished for my girls was that their teachers were kind and compassionate and that they not scar my girls for life with their non caring ways. In other words: Yes, I wanted a competent teacher who inspired my children with sharing their knowledge. Yes I wanted that, of course, but I quickly became real with the whole public school thing and realized that those great, caring, talented teachers were slim pickin's... so I  mostly just prayed for teachers who would not crush my babies spirits. That's it. Just don't do that to my girls. and don't do that to any other child either. That's what I prayed for when my girls were in school.

So I  began thinking about my Lisa. You know...she's going to be a great teacher. She will be a teacher that I would have LOVED my girls to have.  Lisa has known since she was a little girl that she wanted to teach when she grew up. Well the time is NOW. She graduates in May with her degree in Early Childhood Education! YAY! I'm so excited for her...and for me and Mr. Pain. No more of our money going bye bye to a school. YAY!

Seriously, Lisa is going to be one of those super good wonderful teachers. Why? I'll tell you why...First and of great importance and relevance: she is compassionate and she truly cares about those little kids' and their feelings and their well being and their education. That's it. She cares. Secondly, she is well informed and well educated and well prepared. Thirdly, she's got the cojones to handle the parents. She will not be intimidated or scared of some of those pesky demanding sometimes mean parents. Fourthly, she wants to make learning fun and non boring for her future pupils. She plans on putting in the extra time and effort to teach using 'outside the box' ideas. The kids are going to love her and so will their parents.

I envision myself helping her out a bit once she's got her own classroom. Maybe once a week, I visualize myself sitting in her classroom - in one of those kidney shaped or big round tables that many teachers have sitting at the back of the classroom for group lessons. Me, there sitting in a little chair, during recess or pe or music, cutting papers or filing or cleaning up, or doing whatever chore she gives me. Maybe sometimes I will be toting my little grandbaby(ies) with me to school. They are going to love coming along and "helping", just like Lisa did when I brought her along when I volunteered at my girls' school and helped all 3 of my girls' teachers out. I'M SO EXCITED!

Here is one of the pictures I took of Lisa in January - on campus - at Texas Tech University. I'll post some more later.