In one of my first years of
teaching, I had a grade 5 student in my class.
She was smart and polite and a great kid. But her family life was severely wanting. She came to school dirty, there was no
support from home at all, she was basically on her own. I so wanted to adopt her; provide her the
upbringing she deserved. Of course, she
wasn't adoptable. Nor, as I was to learn
over the next 35 years, was I able to rescue every child who needed
rescuing. I admire how Theodore
Roosevelt so aptly put responsibility on everyone's shoulders: "Do what you can, with what you have,
where you are." So, that is what I
have endeavoured to do. I can't do
everything, but I can do something.
I figure I have taught well
over 2,500 students in my career - most of them over multiple years. All I can hope is that I was able to
contribute to their upbringing - not necessarily in knowledge acquisition or
playing skills, but preferably in ways that they are better people for having
been in my class.
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