“You are nobody.  You are worth nothing.  You will never amount to anything.  You are just a waste of space.  No one has ever loved you and no one ever will.  Why would I ever waste my time with and much less pour my life into someone who will never be anyone special anyway?”  Ouch.  Do these statements sound cruel to you?  Do you cringe at the thought of anyone actually stating any of those sentences to another human life?  Well, it may be hard to believe, but we may do that very thing.

Any negative thought or action towards another human being can take on the form of any of the above sentences.  Any refusal to believe in or support another human life is just as careless as someone who verbally states one of the sentences listed above.  Now do you feel guilty?  Not yet?  Well let me expound on this subject.

Often times, we may see ourselves as the one who sees the big picture for others.  We think we can predict where that person is going in life and what he/she will amount to be in the future.  Consequently, we take the opposite approach as well.  We also believe that we can tell when a person is going to fail, so we may even try to get that person to pull-out of a situation or idea before the ordeal gets too rough—this is especially true when it comes to children. 

At times, those of us who are teachers may unknowingly crush one of our own students’ spirits.  For example, we may hear a child say that he wants to be an astronaut or the President or a superhero when he grows up, but in our minds we do not believe that he will ever actually amount to it.  Now, of course logic says that careers such as being the President or an imaginary superhero are pretty much out of the question, but this is not the point.  As a teacher, it is important for the children to see us believing that they can do/be anything they want and can achieve any goal that they set for themselves. 

                It is so easy to forget the amount of influence that teachers place on their students every day.  However, Shari Rusch Furnstahl reminded me of this very important fact.  Within her speech that took place Tuesday night, September 11, 2007, she informed the audience that it was her teachers’ beliefs in her that have gotten her to where she is today.  Within her childhood, she grew up with many special needs, including brain damage, health and learning issues, and family turmoil.  As she went through school, she was constantly told those same words, “Shari will never be able to…”  However, with some undeserved help and extra love from those that refused to give up on her, she learned to not only overcome her difficulties but also to embrace them.  She is now a nationwide speaker that shares her story for all to hear, and she is sure to highlight on that very fact.

                This is why I am going to be a teacher.  This is how we should all live our lives.  What is one of our main purposes in life?  To love others.  God made each and every person uniquely in Him and loves them all just the same.  We have no right to ever take away any person’s self worth.  God values all, and we should too.    We may be limited in our own physical or metal ability.  However, He has no limits.  We should never state the limits as a permanent condition, but rather, we should learn to overcome and help others overcome those very limits with His help.