I’m so blessed to be called into the arena of education.  These are some of the blessings I see for those who are also on the team.

Blessed are those who teach because they are the guardians of the past, the keepers of the present and the inventors of the future.

Blessed are the broken hearted who are burdened by mistakes and shortcomings in kids.  They will also teach the lessons of renewal, resilience and recovery in the future.

Blessed are the educators who question things that are while striving to make them what they can be.

Blessed are those who cry with and about students.  They will be the ones who celebrate the victories and successes that follow.

Blessed are the cafeteria workers, nurses, media specialists, administrative assistants and bus drivers who deal with hundreds of students each week but focus on the individual before them in the moment.

Blessed are those who have learned to run to the bathroom and eat in 22 minutes because they seek to fill students’ hunger for learning.

Blessed are those who have the vision to see what is possible before it is recognizable.

Blessed are the instructional assistants, paraprofessionals, therapists and case workers who see beyond the disability or impairment at the life of one who is loved, treasured and adored for just being who they are and not what some ideal thinks they have to become.

Blessed is the English language development teacher who welcomes the newcomer searching for hope and opportunity through the portal of a classroom door.

Blessed are those who have sat in gymnasiums, bleachers, and auditoriums because a child recognized the significant place in their life enough to ask, “Hey, do you want to come to my recital (game, performance)?”

Blessed are those that have the vision to look beyond the carefully crafted exterior cultivated to show independence and self-assurance and perceive the insecurity and fear that is truly present.
Blessed are those who secure, maintain and prepare the buildings and grounds so that students have a safe and welcoming space to learn, laugh and grow.

Blessed are those who support with talent and energy all the resources students need to learn from technology to booklets, training and curriculum materials.

Blessed are those who teach sacrifice and selflessness in the laboratory of the field, the gym, and the stage.

Blessed are those who become discouraged and disheartened when lessons aren’t internalized quickly.  The persistence of water droplets on the path to the Pacific Ocean carved out a Grand Canyon over time and these believers are creating wonders and spectacles in lives that are difficult to fathom.

Blessed are those who wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea to foster students’ curiosity and excitement to learn.

Blessed are those that don’t relish the tough conversations but also don’t run from them because they deliver the reproof and accountability that is crucial to development.

Blessed are those who face their class with a smile because they know that’s the reassurance their students need.

Blessed are those who model hope to those who know hopelessness.

Blessed are those who stand beside students in times of uncertainty and struggle to show compassion and unconditional support.

Blessed are those who recognize education as a team sport and show the resolve to never quit or give up on a team member, colleague or student even in the face of adversity, challenges or delayed outcomes.

Blessed are those who enlist and persevere in the fight to give students a hope and a future despite the critics and the doubters.

Blessed are the administrators who have the opportunity to journey alongside these champions of children.

Blessed are the students who have these courageous adults in their lives who showed up and cared for them today – and will do so again tomorrow.