Inner Dialogue

a message to a new teacher I mentor:

sometimes being a teacher means investing a lot of yourself into those that you have stewardship over...

although I missed academic senate yesterday, i did submit my proxy ballot to Dennis so my votes did get counted...

the reason i went to lunch instead wasn't just to blow off my faculty duties and "have fun"...

it was because it was important to invest time into people who needed me more than the faculty at CC...

i ended up taking one of those people to bakersfield last night, to KMC, for a psych eval, thinking he would be admitted for some much needed help...

got there around 8pm...

stayed there until almost 2am when he was released, basically without services...

got to bed at 4am...

alarm went off at 6:30am to get kids to school...

sometimes, that's what you do because they aren't just students, they are people with real lives, real issues, real goals, dreams, hopes, and aspirations...

and sometimes...

they just need someone to believe in them and show that they care.

being a teacher is more than just standing up in front of a classroom full of students...

it means standing up for what is right and for who they are.

yes, i realize i am rambling (sleep deprivation will do that to you)...

but i wanted to share with you a little of why I make some of the choices I make...

it's not about the paperwork and the pencil-pushing...

it's all about priorities...

but really...

it's all about people.