Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Support is Important.....

   
 I'll never forget the story I was told about a mother that was upstairs sewing.  Her daughter came home and panicked when she didn't find her mother right away as she walked in the door.  "MOM", she yelled.
     Her mother walked to the top of the stairs and explained, I'm upstairs sewing.  What do you need?  Instant relief filled her young daughter.  
     "Nothing", she said, "I couldn't find you." 
      "Well, I"m right here if you need me."
       Her daughter smiled as she went to the kitchen to get a snack and called her friend, then tended to her homework.  But was that true? She needed nothing?  No. She needed to know that her mother was there.  It's a comfort just to know that there is someone there for you even though we may not need them to do anything.  I love this story as an example of that quiet support and confidence we can give our own families, friends and the children that we are teaching.  
     I want to acknowledge support that I'm given daily.  
     There's the young reading intervention teacher across the hall that comes over to check on me and connect with the students in my classroom so that we know, if there's ever trouble, we have another safe place to be.  
     There are my own four daughters that call just to say "hi", especially when they haven't heard from me for a few days.  
     There's the emails of support and positive energy from my childhood friend.  We'll be friends for life because we make a choice to be there and support each other. We cry through the tough times and celebrate the good. 
     There's Two Writing Teachers blog that is there to create conversations, reflections and innovative ideas that help support teachers do the very best job they can teaching writing to kids.
I love my daughters!
     Your quiet support means a lot to people in your life, you just may not always know or understand your influence.