Saturday, July 19, 2008

Inspired


As a teacher, I want to inspire my students. However, in the midst of me trying desperately to inspire them, without fail, many of them inspire me. Their individual stories are amazing. So many of them are finishing their education while working to help support their families, raising a child of their own, and have gone through more in their short lifetime than many of us could even imagine. I admire them for beating their odds and working towards their goals. It can't be easy, but they do it, and for this I am truly inspired!

There is a lot of ill in this world today, but there are also so many great things, people, ideas, etc. that inspire us daily. I love to be inspired. Teaching American Lit. gives me an opportunity to be inspired by the many witty poets who wrote so eloquently and left us with words of wisdom. Just a few of my favorites are;

Love the earth and sun and animals,Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,Stand up for the stupid and crazy,Devote your income and labor to others...And your very flesh shall be a great poem. ........Walt Whitman

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain

As I think back to all the people who have inspired me in my life, there are too many to mention. But, I am glad for them and think of them often. I am also happy that each day, continuously and always, I am inspired by so many things. For them I am grateful, because what a bleak world it would be without inspiration!