WORDS OF WISDOM FOR TEACHERS

Below are some poems and words of wisdom I have collected. Enjoy!

The Hand Holders:
A Tribute To Caregivers

There is no job more important than yours,
no job anywhere else in the land.
You are the keepers of the future;
you hold the smallest of hands.

Into your care you are trusted
to nurture and care for the young,
and for all of your everyday heroics,
your talents and skills go unsung.

You wipe tears from the eyes of the injured.
You rock babies brand new in your arms.
You encourage the shy and unsure child.
You make sure they are safe from all harm.

You foster the bonds of friendships,
letting no child go away mad.
You respect and you honour their emotions.
You give hugs to each child when they're sad.

You have more impact than does a professor,
a child's mind is moulded by four;
so whatever you lay on the table
is whatever the child will explore.

Give each child the tools for adventure,
let them be artists and writers and more;
let them fly on the wind and dance on the stars
and build castles of sand on the shore.

It is true that you don't make much money
and you don't get a whole lot of praise,
but when one small child says "I love you",
you're reminded of how this job pays.

author unknown
sent by
Dani

Listen Closely

On Monday, Billy didn't have his homework
And when the teacher asked him why,
He said, "Because a monster ripped it up,
After I told him a lie."
"Now Billy," said the teacher.
"You know monsters don't exist,
And if you don't turn in your homework
No recess you will get."

On Tuesday, Bill had a stomache,
And when the teacher asked him why,
He said, "A monster took away my dinner,
Even my cherry pie."
"Billy, I've told you once before,
Monsters are not real.
You''ll have to wait til lunchtime
Before you get a meal."
On Wednesday Billy had a bandage,
Which covered his right eye.
When the teacher asked him how it happened.
This was his reply;
"A monster was running after me
When I ran into the door."
"Billy, please," the teacher said,
"I don't want to hear any more."
On Thursday, Billy refused to sit down.
And when the teacher asked him why,
Billy said, "A monster whipped my bottom,
Because I started to cry."
"Billy," said the teacher, "this is getting out of hand,
And if you continue with these stories,
In the corner you will stand."
On Friday, Billy didn't come to school,
And when the teacher found out why,
She said a little prayer to God
In hopes Billy would survive.
For a monster had beaten Billy
and threatened him with a knife.
Now Billy lay in a hospital bed,
Fighting for his life.
So teachers please remember,
Taht monsters are for real.
Listen closely to kids' stories,
A wonder heart you may heal.

written by
Christina Brinsley
sent by
Eunice Caldwell

I Am A Teacher

I am a counselor and psychologist to a problem-filled child,
I am a police officer that controls a child gone wild.
I am a travel agent scheduling our trips for the year,
I am a confidante that wipes a crying child's tear.
I am a banker collecting money for a ton of different things,
I am a librarian showing adventures that a storybook brings.
I am a custodian that has to clean certain little messes,
I am a psychic that learns to know all that everybody only guesses.
I am a photographer keeping pictures of a child's yearly growth,
When mother and father are gone for the day, I become both.
I am a doctor that detects when a child is feeling sick,
I am a politician that must know the laws and recognize a trick.
I am a party planner for holidays to celebrate with all,
I am a decorator of a room, filling every wall.
I am a news reporter updating on our nation's current events,
I am a detective solving small mysteries and ending all suspense.
I am a clown and comedian that makes the children laugh,
I am a dietician assuring they have lunch or from mine I give them half.
When we seem to stray from values, I become a preacher,
But I'm proud to have to be these people because ...
I'm proud to say, "I am a teacher."

by
Stacy Bonino

A Teacher's Creed

I believe I have been called by God to teach.
I believe in children...young and old...black and white...rich and poor....each in need of learning.
I believe in blackboards, chalk dust, textbooks, and computers for each has a part in imparting knowledge.
I believe the love I give to my students will someday be reflected in their lives.
I believe the gift of teaching is not measured simply by marks, enrollment, or the end of the school year.
It is in the witness I give and the fullness of the life lived by those I teach.
I believe I have the power to lead those in need of learning to the threshold of their own minds.
I believe in my giftedness to use each of the tools available no matter how new or old..for the light of knowledge in the eyes of another is my goal.
I believe teaching is more than tests, diplomas, paperwork, and fundraising.
It is the values I breathe daily into another...slowly.
It is in the faith I share in Jesus...ever changing and growing...never ending.
I believe my success today goes unnoticed...until those i teach and touch can stand alone and say "in my life I have learned..."
I believe if I have taught and touched one person...in God's name...I have used my gift to me justly..and can humbly say...
I believe in teaching....
I AM A TEACHER!!

Thanks to Julie McClellan

A Loving Parent

Dear Teacher,

I am sending you my most precious possession today,
Trusting in your care what to do and say,
Be gentle and loving and encourage him too,
I'm trusting in you to know what to do,
Show him things and let him draw,
So he'll remember the things he saw,
Let him jump and run and play,
He'll tell us all about his day,
Let him do things on his own too,
But please help him when he looks to you,
Give him a hug and smile alot,
Memories of you will never be forgot.

� A Loving Parent
By Renee H. Davis

written and sent to me by Renee H. Davis

Childhood Doesn't Wait

I was sitting on a bench
while in a nearby mall,
When I noticed a young mother
with two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,
"Pick me up," I heard him beg
but the mother's face grew angry
as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me," she shouted
as she pushed his hands away,
I wish I'd had the courage
to go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly
when those little arms that tug,
Won't ask for you to hold them
or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly
just as it did with me,
When you can't recall the last time
that your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings
when we cherished time alone
Our babies grow and leave behind
those special times we've know.

"So when your child comes to you
with a book that you can share,
Or asks that you would tuck him in
and help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat
or would like to take a walk,
Before you answer that you can't
'cause there's no time to talk

"Remember what all parents learn
so many times too late,
That years go by too quickly
and that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,
if one should slip away
Reach hard to get it back again,
don't wait another day."

I watched that mother walk away
her children followed near,
I hope she'll pick them up
before her chances disappear

by Kathie Davis

Anyway

� People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help but may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you have and you�ll get kicked in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU�VE GOT ANYWAY.

author unkown

Renee H. Davis wanted to share this with everyone.
She received it from a staff member recently who has been studying Mother Teresa.
This was taken from a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children�s home in Calcutta.

I Am Me: A Declaration of Self-Esteem

In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me.
Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine
Because I alone chose it.
I own everything about me;
My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions,
Whether they be to others or to myself.
I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears.
I own all my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes.
Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me.
By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts.
I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know,
But as long as I am friendly and loving to myself,
I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and for ways to find out more about me.
However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel, at a given moment in time is authentically me.
If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought and felt turn out to be unfitting,
I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded.
I can see, hear, feel, think, say and do.
I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of te world of people and things outside of me.
I own me, and therefore I can engineer me.
I am me and I am okay.

by Virginia Satir

To Every Parent

There are little eyes upon you,
And they are watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly take
In every word you say;
There are little hands all eager to do
Everthing you do,
And a little child who's dreaming of
The day he'll be like you.

You're the little child's idol,
You're the wisest of the wise,
In his little mind aboutyou,
No suspicions ever rise;
He believes in you devoutly,
Holds all you say and do;
He will say and do in your way when
He's grown up to be like you.

There's a wide eyed little child who
Believes you're always right,
And his ears are always open and he
Watches day and night;
You are setting an example
Everyday in all you do
For the little child who's waiting
To grow up to be like you.

author unknown

A Loving Teacher

Things our grown-up mind defies
Appear as giants in children's eyes.
A gentle touch upon her head
A simple word when kindly said.
Complete attention when she calls.
Her knowing you have given all.
Correcting in a loving way.
Instilling trust in what you say.

Making her believe unique
The tiny flaw upon her cheek.
Admiring old and faded dresses.
Reminding her we all make messes.
Words of comfort you've softly spoken
A promise you've made she knows won't be broken.
Your knowing her doll that was lost today
Is just as important as bills you can't pay.

Helping make her plans and schemes
Giving her hope and building her dreams.
All of this and so much more
Is in her mind forever stored.
They who touch her life awhile
Can either make or break that child.
Education is important, true,

But so much more, her faith in you.
You've weathered through the storm and strife;
You helped to build a small girl's life.
You're truly one to be admired.
For you gave more than was required.

by Pat McClain
sent to me from Yvonne Sturdivant (Pat is her mom!)

The Teacher

Thirty years ago she began teaching
young children in their threes and fours;
she didn't know much about children at first,
but over time learned more and more.

She gave them hugs and wiped their tears,
and never left them alone;
she guided them through the small things,
which often turned out to be milestones.

Her first students are all grown now,
and she waves to them when they pass;
there's a banker, a writer, a lawyer, an artist,
and parents with children in her class.

To those who ask if she plays all day,
she says with a gleam in her eye
that she teachers bankers to add and subtract,
and artists the color of the sky.

She teaches the alphabet to writers,
and lawyers what it means to be fair;
she teaches politicians to take their turn,
and executives how to share.

She knows that what's learned in the sandbox
will influence them for years to come;
it's the little things that shape them,
so impressionable are the young.

If you too work with children,
and dance and sing and play,
don't forget that you shape the future
by whom you teach today.

by Tim Bete

Only A Teacher?

I AM a teacher! What I do and say are being absorbed by young minds who will echo these images across the ages. My lessons will be immortal, affecting people yet unborn, people I will never see or know. The future of the world is in my classroom today, a future with the potential for good or bad. The pliable minds of tomorrow's leaders will be molded either artistically or grotesquely by what I do.

Several future presidents are learning from me today; so are the great writers of the next decades, and so are all the so-called ordinary people who will make the decisions in a democracy. I must never forget these same young people could be the thieves and murderers of the future.

Only a teacher? Thank God I have a calling to the greatest profession of all! I must be vigilant every day lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow.

by Ivan Welton Fitzwater

Nothing

When a teacher retired after forty years in the classroom, there was a huge dinner for her. People flocked to the affair, not only colleagues and friends, but the numerous children, now grown to adulthood, whom she had taught over the years.

They all came and many of them spoke. They spoke of the teacher's kindness, of her understanding, her sternness in the classroom coupled with her lover of her students, and the special care she took to see to it that every student learned. Many of her former students attributed their success in later life to the values and knowledge they had learned as students in her classes.

Finally, it was the teacher's turn to speak, and as the master of ceremonies introduced her, he remarked that perhaps she would be willing to share some of the secrets of her success in teaching.

"There's no secret to it," she said as she began to speak. "On my first day of teaching, forty years ago, I walked into the classroom to find that my students had placed a tack on my chair, put an apple with a worm in it on my desk, and someone had written on the chalkboard, 'You can't teach us nothing!'"

"Since that day, I have always checked my chair before sitting down, never eaten anything given to me by a student, and made it my special project to see to it that every child in my class learned."

"You see, within five minutes of that first day, I knew that my bottom could stand the tack and my stomach could survive the worm - but I realized that my conscience would never forgive me if I taught them 'NOTHING'"

author unknown

Think Again!

So, you think what you do in the classroom doesn't matter...
That you're "just"going to teach
Well think again!

A child is a person
Who is going to carry on
What you have started
And when you are gone
Attend to those things you think are important
You may adopt all the policies you please-
But how they are carried out,

Depends on him.

He will assume control of your cities, states, and schools.
He is going to move in and take over
Your churches, states, and corporations

The fate of humanity is in his hands...
or is that your hands?

author unknown

Searching for Gold

Look beneath the freckles
Look beneath the grin
Look for that which sparkles
Buried deep within.

Look beyond the whining
Look beyond the tears
Look beyond the runny nose
The frowns, the mess, the fears.

Search for that which glitters
Treasures to unfold
Search beneath the surface
Search and find the gold!

by Jean Warren

You Never Know

You never know when someone
might catch a dream from you.
You never know when a little word
or something that you might do,
May open up a window
of a mind that seeks the light.

The way you teach may not matter at all,
but you never know, it might.

And just in case it could be
that another's life through you
might change for the better
with a broader, brighter view.
It seems it might be worth a try
to do what you know is right.

The way you teach may not matter at all,
but you never know, it might.

author unknown

Toddler's Creed

If I want it,
it's mine.

If I give it to you and change my mind later,
it's mine

If I can take it away from you,
it's mine.

If I had it a little while ago,
it's mine.

If it's mine,
it will never belong to anybody else,
no matter what.

If we are building something together,
all the pieces are mine.

If it looks just like mine,
it is mine.

author unknown

It Is Better to Build Children Than to Mend Adults

If a child lives with...

critism, a child learns to condemn.
hostility, a child learns to fight.
fear, a child learns to be apprehensive.
pity, a child learns to feel sorry for him or herself.
jealousy, a child learns to feel guilty.
tolerance, a child learns to be patient.
encouragement, a child learns to be confident.
praise, a child learns to be appreciative.
recognition, a child learns it is good to have a goal.
approval, a child learns to like him or herself.
honesty, a child learns what truth is.
fairness, a child learns justice.
acceptance, a child learns to love.
security, a child learns to have faith in him or herself and those about him or her.
friendliness, a child learns the world is a nice place in which to live.

Norman Alcohol Center in Norman, OK

Memo From Your Child

Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all that I ask for. I'm testing you.

Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it; it makes me feel more secure.

Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

Don't make me feel smaller than I really am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big".

Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice if you talk to me privately.

Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

Don't protect me from consequences. I sometimes have to learn the painful way.

Don't be too upset when I say, "I hate you." It isn't you I hate, but your power to thwart me.

Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.

Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

Don't forget that I can not explain myself as well as I should like; this is why I'm not always accurate.

Don't make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

Don't be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

Don't tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real to me and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and get my information elsewhere.

Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither.

Don't ever think it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm toward you.

Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be difficult to keep pace with me, but please, do try.

Don't forget that I love experimenting. I couldn't get along without it so please put up with it.

Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of understanding love, but I don't need to tell you that do I?

by Thomas C. Ritt, Jr., Arizona ACLD Newsletter December, 1975

How To Ruin Your Children

Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.

When he picks up bad words, laugh at him...this will make him think he's cute. It will also encourage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top off your head late.

Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is 21 and then let him "decide for himself."

Avoid use of the word "wrong." It may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested for stealing a car, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

Pick up everything he leaves lying around - books, shoes, clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility to others.

Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they will not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.

Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them.

Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, comfort. See that every sensual desire is gratified. Denial may lead to harmful restraint.

Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him."

Tell them they are "No Good" often. They will grow up trying to prove you are correct.

When they make a mistake, criticize in front of others so everyone can see how disciplined you are.

If a child with ingenuity creates a useless (but original) "thing", make a fool of him, he hs to learn to be practical.

Prepare for a life of grief. You will be likely to have it.

original source unknown

Ten Commitments For Parents

I will always love and respect my child for who he is and not who I want him to be.

I will give my child space - to grow, to dream, to succeed and even sometimes to fail.

I will create a loving home environment and show my child that she is loved, whenever and however I can.

I will, when discipline is necessary, let my child know that I disapprove of what he does, not who he is.

I will set limits for my child and help her find security in the knowledge of what is expected of her.

I will make time for my child and cherish our moments together, realizing how important - and fleeting - they are.

I will not burden my child with emotions and problems he is not equipped to deal with, remembering that I am the parent and he is the child.

I will encourage my child to experience the world and all its possibilities, guiding her in its ways and taking pains to leave her careful but not fearful.

I will take care of myself physically and emotionally, so that I can be there for my child when he needs me.

I will try to be the kind of person I want my child to grow up to be - loving, fair-minded, moral, giving and hopeful.

author unknown

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