THE POWER OF LOVE

There is no doubt in my mind that teachers are incredibly powerful. Every day they have endless opportunities to make a difference in the lives of children and families. Take time to read the work of Vivian Gussin Paley.  You will not be disappointed, her words have the power to change the world’s view of children. Here are a few of her books….

 

She absolutely values the role of the teacher. In her words ...

“You in your centre are far more powerful to achieve moral changes than you think you are…. We as teachers, have more opportunity to change of the moral landscape of our little universe than a doctor does in a hospital, than a lawyer does in a court, than a reporter does in a newspaper, than an engineer does in the field… think about it….. What a bonanza we have!”

-       I recently read this very lovely story about a teacher and the power of love, I thought it was worth sharing …..It was a story written by John Kord Lagemann

“A young sociology professor sent his class out to a Baltimore slum to interview two hundred boys and predict their chances for the future. The students, shocked by slum conditions, they saw evidence of criminal actitivity on every corner. The group predicted that about 90 percent of the boys they interviewed would someday serve time in prison.

Twenty five years later, the same professor assigned another class to find out how the predictions had turned out. Of 190 of the original boys located, only four had ever been to jail.

Why had the prediction been so wrong? More than 100 of the men remembered one high school teacher, a Miss O’Rourke, as having been an inspiration in their lives. After a long search, Sheila O’Rourke, more than seventy years old, was found. But when asked to explain her influence over her former students, she was puzzled. “All I can say,” she finally decided, “is that I loved every one of them.”

Enjoy and take seriously the opportunities that you have to make a difference in children’s lives.