Invested a little extra time into a Mother’s Day present for my mother who is in the hospital. Bought a digital picture frame and picked out several hundred grandchildren pictures over the last several years to send with it. 

Teacher appreciation week is fast concluding. If you haven’t already, please consider a small ($10) donation to the Beaverton Education Foundation’s “1 Campaign”. Together we can fund 100 teacher projects across our community to give the teachers the resources they need.

As teacher appreciation week continues, I’d like to reflect on something else that teachers give us.

Growth.

Growth involves stretching ourselves and it does not come for free. There is usually a little pain. When we are young, we have growing pains. When we learn to ride a bike, we fall off and it hurts. When we change careers there can be financial pain. Here’s a recent, personal example.

I spent the past three days chaperoning a middle school camp. Last year, I chaperoned a similar camp with the same students. For me personally, this year’s camp was better than the last.

Why? Rowdy boys at 11pm was frustrating. Vomiting was stinky. The occasional, disrespectful child was maddening. But as I handled these events, I realized that learning to handle my personal discomfort was making me a more patient person.  And by being more patient, I was able to guide gently rather than force. The results were better.

That stretch, that strain, that pull of those invisible muscles which gave me pain while it gave me patience is also what a good teacher can give us.

A good teacher will stretch us beyond our comfort zone. A good teacher will pull us in a new direction. A good teacher will push us to excel.

And this is painful. But, we become more capable, more adaptable, more knowledgeable than we were before. In short, we are better people when we grow.

And a good teacher will help us grow.