This morning in FORUM we discussed who influenced us as we were growing up. It was the introduction to a several session class on "40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents." This has to do, basically, with why some kids from bad homes excel in life and why some kids from good, well-to-do homes don't.So our leaders asked us who, besides our parents, helped shape us for the good. The overwhelming answers were teachers and nosey neighbors.
One woman told about sneaking on lipstick after she left home and her parents knowing about it before she got to school.
The point is that we have no idea what kind of good we're doing when we look out for a kid - or anybody else.
Afterwards I had lunch with a teacher and I was happy to share the above with her. She then told me a wonderful story of a kid she had in her second grade class who grew up and went to college only to discover his favorite professor was married to his favorite second grade teacher. He was thrilled.
This must be one of the biggest perks of teaching.... having students remember you forever as someone who changed their lives.
And sometimes all we have going for us as kids are good teachers and nosey neighbors.
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