Serving Your Students (Dedicated to the Victims of Sandy Hook Elementary)

I do not watch or read the news. I watch and read History. Tendencies seldom change. People always tell me"your a teacher and do not watch the news?!". I always answer the same way: "Let me see? Was somebody shot yesterday? Will thousands of children die of hunger today? Will thousands more die of illnesses? Were lives cut short? Will people lose their jobs today? Is there traffic after work? Did big corporations get caught red handed? Are such corporations still scheming for power? Is some celebrity in a mix up? What are we going to do about it?"

The predictability of humans has been a powerful tool for big names in history. Some exploit such information. Many more "do what's right". The propagandist media does not make money on happy stories. Their profit relies solely on tragedy. But I am here to say that many more of us have beautiful intentions.

Months ago, I was conversing with a co-worker and tell her about a story I was following on facebook. It was about a soldier who was complaining about my stand against gun laws. His exact words were "You f**king people don't even know how to defend a country".

First I'd like to say that my father was a Bronze Star (Heroism) recipient for the first Gulf War. I am proud of him because very few people who stand in front of me have not even half of his dedication for human life. He IS my standard definition of dedication for human life.

I remember responding to the gentleman in the lines of: There are many ways to serve and defend a world, continent, nation, state, town, neighborhood, home. Tutor, teach, volunteer your time, feed, heal, defend (courts), build, make, pass on, pay forward, pay back, relate, travel, connect, be just.

I ended up telling my co-worker that a true teacher would give his/her life for any man, woman, or child. The people that worked in Sandy Hook Elementary School were True Teachers and Workers. 

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