The creation of the teacher ..for all the teachers at heart!

THE CREATION OF THE TEACHER

The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, “You are taking a long time to figure this one out."

"Yes," said the Lord,” but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:

... must stand above all students, yet be on their level

... must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught

... must run on coffee, coke and leftovers,

... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time

... must have more time for others than for herself/himself

must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents

... must go on teaching when parents question every move and administration is not supportive

... must have 6 pair of hands

"Six pair of hands, “said the angel, "that's impossible" "Well, “said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!" The angel looked incredulous, “Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?" The Lord nodded His head, “One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he 'goofs up' in order to reflect, “I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child." "Lord,” said the angel, “This is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow". "I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like myself. I have one that comes to work when she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in her heart for children who are not her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..." The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. "It is too soft-hearted,” said the angel. "Yes," said the Lord, “but also tough, you can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary" "Can this teacher think?" asked the angel. "Not only think,” said the Lord, "but reason and compromise." The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek. "Well Lord,” said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you were putting too much into this model. You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher." The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek. It shone and glistened in the light. "It is not a leak," He said, “It is a tear." "A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, “What is a tear for?" The Lord replied with great thought, “It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class." "My, “said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"

The Lord looked somber, “I didn't put it there."

We are smart.. for all the proud mothers!

Mothers’ Brains Are Bigger

By LISA BELKIN

Yes, it’s based on a tiny sample — just 19 women, all in their 30s and all college educated. True, it’s a preliminary finding.

But let’s put that aside for the moment and indulge ourselves, shall we?

The study, which appears in this month’s issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience finds that women’s brains grow in the months after they give birth, leaving them smarter than they were before.

O.K., O.K., I know. From where you sit, it doesn’t feel that way, what with all the absentmindedness and exhaustion, occasional inept moments, fits of anger or crying jags. But the neuroscientist Pilyoung Kim, of the National Institutes of Health, measured the brains of new mothers and found that those who had “positive” interactions with their infants showed “increased gray matter volume in the midbrain,” the region linked to such skills as judgment, reasoning and emotional processing. It’s the same effect previously seen in postpartum lab animals and is likely an evolutionary response to increased demands on a female to keep offspring alive.

The key word here, though, is “positive.” The brain growth seems to be a self-perpetuating cycle, with mothers learning coping skills with each warm and successful interaction with their newborns. In this way, the research might provide a window onto the mechanics of postpartum depression, because the cycle seems not to “take” as completely in women with postpartum depression. As Craig Kinsley, professor of psychology at the University of Richmond, asks in a commentary to the Kim article: “Is it possible that just as there are edifices that are poorly constructed and crumble at the first challenge by earthquake or hurricane, there may be defectively assembled maternal brains that fail in their task of caring adequately for young?”

But I digress. There will be more research to worry us about the way this process can go wrong.

For today, Mama, just smile quietly to yourself, knowing yours is bigger.