Month: January 2022

Teaching is one of the most challenging careers that one might choose to follow. Studies have shown that by the five year mark only the most dedicated educators have decided to stay in the profession. The hours are much longer than the nine to three mark that so many assume is the work day for teachers. In most cases the job continues until well into the night, and the summer vacation time is filled with inservice programs, weeks long courses, and pre-planning for the coming school year. The myths about short days and three month vacations for teachers still persist even though they are far from the truth about the extended efforts that all teachers provide for their students and their schools. 

One would think that members of such an important profession would be some of the most highly paid and honored in the nation, but the reality is that teachers work for abysmally low salaries given their level of education and the number of hours that they labor each year. Those who stay past that five year mark are the ones who continue regardless of the lack of benefits and praise. They are the ones who altruistically simply want to lay the educational foundations for each generation. They are literally devoted to the idea that their work is the bulwark on which the future is born. 

So why would anyone with any special abilities be willing to sacrifice time and salary for a job that is all too often the subject of sneers and misunderstanding? I suppose that it is because teaching offers immeasurable rewards to those who are truly dedicated. It is not in salary or benefits or perks that educators find joy, but in the knowledge that what they have done keeps the engines of innovation and industry moving. There are no engineers without a fleet of teachers beginning when a child is small. There are no business magnates or doctors or scientists without the step by step processes that teachers provide in hopes of unlocking the brilliance and gifts of each child who sits in their classrooms. Teaching is one of the most purpose driven careers that anyone might follow. 

Many times a teacher receives the gift of gratitude from a former student who has achieved great things. Those tokens of appreciation have more value than gold. They convince teachers that their own sacrifices of money and prestige are more than worth it. There is no greater feeling for teachers than realizing that someone is a bit better because of their influence. Teachers literally save the cards, letters and texts that they receive, sometimes reading them over and over again. 

I suppose that I understood why someone becomes an educator when I thought of my own teachers and the enormous impact that some of them had on my life. I can still transport my mind back to their classrooms and realize what I learned from each of them. My first grade teacher opened the world to me by showing me how to read and write and she did so with such patience and love. My sixth grade teacher demonstrated how to be fair and just. My seventh grade teacher widened my vistas by making science fun and interesting. My high school English teacher made me a citizen of the world. One of my college professors showed me how to teach others. Even today I continue to unearth truths about history from a professor who teaches those of us who want to learn just for fun.

Step by small step I learned about the world around me. Most of my teachers were honest and fair. None of them became rich from their work, but I suspect that, like me, they reveled in the knowledge that what they gave to me and my fellow students was so important. My fellow classmates and I took their lessons to heart and have led successful and fulfilling lives because of them. So it has been for generations of students who enjoyed the tutelage of countless teachers whose names will never be known, but whose impact was huge. 

Most students do not know that teachers never forget them. We remember the sad little girl who struggled to learn and always seemed so isolated from her peers. We pray that she is okay. We think of the class troublemaker and smile in knowing that he turned out just fine. We marvel at the accomplishments of our students who outdistance us in their learning and their achievements. We smile when we learn that our students are happy, and cry when we find that they are somehow broken. We wish that there were some way for them to know that we will never stop caring for them. 

If only everyone knew what I know about teachers there would be a rush to honor them and shower them with the prestige they so deserve. For now, I suspect that like me they will simply be content to know that what they have done is truly important. That knowledge seems to have been enough for generations of educators to quietly do their work.

Managing a classroom is like a microcosm of running a city or a state or even a country. Every school has rules regarding behavior, grading policies, attendance, illness and so forth. Many of the mandates derive from the school district to which they belong or even from state level education agencies. Within the confines of a particular campus there may be additional directives regarding issues like walking in the hallways during passing periods or behavior in the cafeteria during lunch. At the most intimate level each teacher is able to create regulations outlining expectations for various objectives related directly to the delivery of lessons. 

All rules must be clearly stated and posted so that both students and parents are aware of the requirements. In most cases there are also listings of potential consequences for failure to follow the directives. The important thing to consider when designing such demands is to be as certain as possible that they are fair and enforceable. Once a rule is made public it has to apply to everyone, not just a select few. 

As a beginning teacher I had to learn the importance of creating rules for my classroom that would be understandable and truly important for the smooth operation of my efforts to teach and the students’ ability to learn. My initial descriptions of crimes and punishments in the early days of being an educator ended up being too complex. As a result I was expending more time as a “cop” than an educator. Fortunately my principal was a gifted administrator who helped me to understand that simplicity was a better way to keep my students in tow without alienating them and their parents while also making my job easier. 

In the ensuing years I came to believe that a measure of a rule’s worth could be found in my own willingness to consistently enforce it. For example, I once demanded that students raise their hands and wait to be called on before speaking in every situation. Before long I saw that there were indeed times when it was better to tap into the enthusiasm of their responses rather than discouraging them with a directive that I often failed to follow. 

I remember an incident in which I wrote up a student for disrupting one of my lessons. Even after warning him to get quiet and pay attention he continued his bad behavior. I finally gave him a detention slip and sent a copy to the assistant principal. Later that evening the young man’s mother called me crying and insisting that she needed her son to come home each afternoon to watch his siblings while she worked. She begged me to reconsider the punishment while assuring me that she would instruct her son to apologize and change his ways. I felt for her situation and sent a note to the assistant principal asking him to rescind the detention ruling. Instead the wise administrator called me to his office.

When I arrived he explained that the student’s mother had a reputation of begging for clemency for her son. He also noted that it was not a good idea to go back on punishment because it would send a message to all of my students that I was inconsistent and might be manipulated to let some off the hook while coming down on others. He told me to think before making demands or setting punishments. He showed me how important it was for the students to know that everyone was equal in my sphere of classroom management. 

Which gets me to all of the rules floating around the world regarding the pandemic. If a country has strict rules for its citizens regarding vaccines and masks, then there should be no question that an unvaccinated tennis player from another nation should be banned from playing in a tournament there. A rule may not be deemed appropriate by everyone, but if it is in place then it must be enforced in the same way for every single person or it must be changed or eliminated for all. There has been a tendency to look the other way for athletes in particular during the pandemic simply because they attract fans and fill coffers. Meanwhile the average person has to follow rules or possibly find themselves being fired. Whenever we begin making exceptions and bending the regulations we created confusion and anger. 

Frankly, I understand how difficult it is to know what to do in the face of Covid. I would hate to be the person in charge of anything. This virus has mutated and changed how we react to it for two years and counting. In our quest to just be normal again we want clear answers when they probably do not even exist. All we can do is work with the tools and knowledge that we have and hope that we can make our communities as safe as possible. We know that vaccines are not a preventive but they are most surely a mitigator of the worst aspects of the virus. Of course every individual reacts differently to both the vaccine and Covid so the best bet is to be honest that there are no ironclad guarantees, but there is indeed evidence that vaccines, masks and other measures generally result in less severe sickness. 

We are battling a coronavirus that is a force of nature. It may evolve into an almost benign disease or it may get worse. Meanwhile those tasked with our safety will attempt to set up regulations that they believe to be in our best interests. We may find ourselves disagreeing such as I do with those who suggest that there should never be any kind of mandates to vaccinate or wear masks. I am one who has learned that we should never say never. Instead we have to be ready to quickly adjust to the realities of the ever changing situation and we must be certain that everyone understands what the rules are. 

It’s time we stopped quibbling and bending, but we must also know that we have to react to change as quickly as the virus. If the rule works to prevent the worst case scenarios then keep it and enforce it. If it seems to have little or no effect, get rid of it. As long as we are arguing amongst ourselves Covid 19 will stalk us. It’s time that we figured that out and quit wagging our fingers at each other. Let’s set some rules that provide us with a semblance of normalcy while also mitigating the worst aspects of the virus. That might require some sacrifices, but if we all share the responsibility we may finally defeat the plague.

It is the rare individual who sails through life without traumatic experiences. Each of us has had to endure tragedies, losses, illnesses that make it difficult to keep moving forward with a sunny outlook on life. As a society we tend to prefer those among us who somehow appear to manage the low points of their biographies with unbounded optimism and faith. We congratulate the souls who never publicly complain about their woes. At the same time we cringe a bit when someone displays their anger, cynicism or sorrow. We expect the people around us to grieve for a time when thing so awry and then “get over”whatever is bothering them.  

Surely deep in our hearts we know that it is not possible to be happy and uplifting all of the time. Things make us angry. Events bring us sorrow and pain. Our darker emotions are just as much a part of who we are as the brighter ones and yet somehow we tend to believe that we should hide our negative feelings lest we be judged as selfish or weak. Like ticking time bombs we all too often stifle the hurt and anxieties that plague our minds, all in the name of appearing to be the person others want us to be rather than honestly working to heal ourselves.

I suppose that I was the queen of stoicism at one time. I walked through each day hiding the real thoughts that tortured me as I went about my days. I channeled my sadness into hard work, cheerful smiles, kindness. There was nothing innately wrong about doing that, but inside I knew that I had never been honest about how broken I felt from losing my father as a very young child and then losing my mother to recurring mental illness as a young woman. I felt resentful that I had to endure so much. My prayers to God were more like conversations in which I questioned why I had been chosen to bear so much pain while my friends appeared to be enjoying the normal milestones of life. I held an internal pity party for myself even as I appeared to be one of the happiest women on the planet in my social interactions. I only shared the full extent of my grief with my husband, my best friend. 

It was not until an annual checkup with a new doctor that my internal struggles spilled into the open. He was supposed to provide me with a ten minute overview of his findings regarding my health as part of the wellness visit. Because he had found nothing but good news from all of my tests he asked if there was anything more that I wanted to share. For some reason I chose that moment to open my heart to him. As I recited the story of my life and my continuing concerns for my mother I began to cry and allow every feeling I had to spill forth. He gently listened until I seemed as though he had somehow lanced an invisible boil inside my heart. The years of carrying burdensome feelings drained out and I sat in front of him feeling free from all pain. 

Our ten minute interview turned into a one hour therapy session as the good doctor told me that all of the emotions that I had shrouded from view were natural and normal and just as good as the happy ones that I presented to the world. He encouraged me to embrace those feelings as a part of who I am. He told me to write about them, talk about them, be real about them. He insisted that I had a story to share that would help people even more than pretending to be a perfectly put together person. He and I cried together as he insisted that I never again feel shame in being human. 

I set forth from that visit feeling as though I had been set free from chains that had been dragging me down. I began to slowly tell my story, not so much to acquire pity, but to help others to understand that our struggles do not define us and that we don’t have to be happy about them all of the time. I now longer believe that that there is some spiritual reason for our human suffering. I simply think it is just a part of living. My relationship with God is one of comfort and refuge when things go awry and my soul is on the verge of breaking. I have also learned who my most loving friends are, the people who will just sit with me when I cry or complain. It’s okay if I remove my rose colored glasses now again. I won’t be abandoned for falling prey to negativity. I will just be understood and loved.

My relationships with the people around me are deeper now than they once were. I have learned that when I am honest it encourages my friends and family members to also be open and truthful. We engage in a mutual pact of love and respect. I am able to be a refuge for those seeking help from their worries and concerns. I become like that wonderful doctor who cured me. I am able to simply listen to the anxieties of my friends and to allow them to be the beautiful individuals that they are without fear of being judged. Sometimes I just embrace my own suffering and theirs. Other times I encourage or even give advice when they ask for it. Mostly I am just present in their lives. 

As I gaze across the globe I see so much trouble and I know that much of it comes from  broken hearts, damaged spirits. If only we might all take the the time to sit for an hour with those who confound us we might learn why their ideas diverge so dramatically from ours. Instead we are too often quick to judge or to squelch their feelings with platitudes or punishing remarks. Next time we encounter such a situation we might try something else. 

I was recently attacked on Twitter by an angry person whose philosophies appeared to differ from mine. He attacked me with the vilest possible words. Instead of frighting back I told him that I heard conviction in his words. I reminded him that he did not really know me and thus should not draw conclusions about the entirety of my life any more than I should do so with him. After a few more back and forth replies we were wishing each other well, even as we went our ways with differing points of view. We understood that each was only attempting to navigate through life in the ways that felt most comfortable. 

During this new year we would do well to begin by being honest about ourselves and then opening our minds to the real feelings of others without prejudice. Peace on earth begins in our own hearts and goodwill flows out only when we face the truths of our feelings and then hear those from others. That is how we can help to heal the world. 

From the time of my father’s death I have found solace in learning. Anytime I became blue I was able to redirect my mind to reading a good story, diagramming a sentence, working some math problems. Eventually I became a teacher and that work gave me a sense of well-being even in the most difficult moments. Learning and teaching provides me with a momentary form of escape even to this very day. 

We’ve all struggled through the last two years in one way or another. I’ve had moments when I felt like just hibernating like Rip Van Winkle until all of the troubles of the world blow over. I then change my mind because I must admit that I would also miss out on the many wonderful things that happening simultaneously with tragedies, death, violence and the other things that sometimes worry me. That goes for every year of my life. 

Charles Dickens had a way with words when he spoke of the best of times and the worst of times happening all at once. Many mourned during 2021, and I certainly suffered too many losses of friends and relatives, but I can also count innumerable joys in the mix as well. Somehow the year was a brew of good and bad that provided me with more joy than sadness.

Two of my grandsons graduated from Texas A&M University and then immediately found wonderful jobs. They’ve already enjoyed kudos and bonuses from their bosses and learned much along the way. Two other grandsons graduated from high school and began their college educations at Trinity University and Texas Tech respectively. They made it successfully through the first semester and eagerly look forward to finishing their first year of studies this spring. They are enjoying their schools and making new friends and moving  closer and closer to becoming adults in the working world. 

I had several wonderful trips in 2021. I enjoyed camping with my brother and sister-in-law in east Texas where we visited an incredible rose garden and found treasures in an antique store. During the summer we traveled through the panhandle of Texas seeing the sights and meeting up with a good friend. Eventually we found our way to New Mexico where we enjoyed delightful sunrises and sunsets along with a fabulous afternoon with a cousin. We walked through museums and shopped for unique wares. We were able to visit Colorado twice, a particular joy for us as we both saw the summer skies and the golden show of fall leaves in that magical state. 

I got actual hugs in 2021, a grand departure from my isolation of 2019. I had lunches and dinners with good friends. When Christmas came I was able to reprise most of my traditions including celebrations with friends and a fabulous Christmas Eve with my extended family. On Christmas Day I was blessed to be with all of my children and grandchildren in addition to four of my nieces and nephews. My heart was filled with joy and appreciation of each moment unlike anything I have experienced in my life.

I attended a big neighborhood party and dressed up in my Victorian finery for the Dickens on the Strand festival in Galveston. I was able to take two continuing education classes from my favorite professor at Rice University. I learned that we humans have worked throughout the decades to improve life and that our earnest efforts are slowly bringing rewards more and more people, but we still have some work to do.

In 2021, I learned not to take even the simplest pleasures for granted. Everything seemed to taste better, look better, feel better because of my unbounded gratitude. I realized how many blessing fill even my most uneventful days. I was overjoyed to receive my two vaccinations and then a booster to give me some assurance that I will not have to endure the worst effects of Covid-19. I felt quite thankful that I live in a place where such wonders of medicine are readily available, along with treatments if I get sick. 

Happily I was able to teach mathematics to a wonderful group of children. Those days made me so incredibly joyful and calm. I feel fortunate to still have such opportunities to make a difference in my community. I am thankful that my mind is still working and that I have almost as much energy as I had when I was young.

I look forward to 2020. Two more grandchildren are graduating from high school in May. It will be fun to see where they decide to go to college and to watch them enjoying learning new ideas like I do. Who knows what the future will bring, but for sure 2021 was not a bad year at all. If the coming months are even half as wonderful as the past twelve have been I will be very content.

For months now we have all heard that Covid 19 will only be tamed if enough people worldwide receive vaccinations. The trouble with that idea has been a lack of sufficient vaccines being distributed in areas of the world like South America, India and Africa where storing and distribution of the mRNA vaccines is often too complex. While those of us in the United States and Europe were arguing over who was willing to accept vaccines, much of the rest of the world was sadly lacking in meaningful efforts to get more people vaccinated against the virus. Now all of that is in the process of changing thanks to the work of two dedicated doctors who reside right here in my city of Houston. 

Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Botazzi, co-directors of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, have created a safe and easily produced and distributed new vaccine for Covid 19 called CORBEVAX that is already approved for emergency use in India with other underserved countries to follow. The “no strings attached”vaccine will be sent with no patent restrictions or costs. Donors are already lining up to fund the global project whose aim is to bring the jab to as many corners of the world as possible. 

The vaccine has been produced using safe and long used protein technology which is less expensive to create than many of the current vaccines. CORBEVAX is also easy to store, not requiring refrigeration which might hamper bringing it to isolated communities. It was specifically designed by Drs. Hotez and Botazzi for use in middle to low income countries in a humanitarian effort to stem the tide of Covid for all populations.

Dr. Hotez has been one of the many faces of medical academia to emerge during the current pandemic but his work on providing vaccines for tropical diseases and other threats around the world has long been recognized as important in stemming the tide of many illnesses. Sadly the politicization of vaccines and diverging opinions about Covid have sometimes resulted in attacks on the motivation and honesty of Dr. Hotez and others from the medical community. He has been dubbed by some as “Dr Doom” because of his insistence that we will never fully conquer Covid without vaccinating most of the world’s people, not just those in the richest and most developed countries. From the outset his goal has been to educate everyone about the efficacy and importance of global vaccination efforts. 

Now it appears that Dr. Hotez’ dream of finding a vaccine that will be easy to create and distribute to all corners of the world has come to fruition. It is an exciting prospect to realize that the incredible work of Dr. Hotez and Dr. Botazzi  will soon make vaccines a reality for people all over the globe. What is even more remarkable is that neither doctor will profit from the vaccine beyond their usual salaries from Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine where both are doctors, researchers and professors. 

I feel a great sense of pride in knowing that I live in a city that is home to such a great institution as Texas Children’s Hospital. Even better is realizing how many truly inspiring and dedicated individuals are toiling daily to keep our children and their parents healthy. We too often forget the importance of what is happening in the heart of the Medical Center that brings people from all over the world in hopes of finding treatments and cures for their illnesses. Now we also learn that we have two pioneers in the world of virology and immunology working feverishly in our midst for the good of all of humankind. There is something incredibly comforting in knowing that. 

I’ve been following Dr. Hotez on televised interviews and on Twitter for many months now. I have followed his advice regarding my own behavior during this time of pandemic. I have read his latest book and realized how the global impact of disease links all of us together whether we wish to acknowledge this basic truth or not. We can no longer isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. A sneeze in Africa more often than not eventually affects us all and vice versa. 

I congratulate and humbly thank Dr. Hotez and Dr. Botazzi for their brilliance and diligence in working day in and day out to produce and distribute safe vaccines for many different diseases. While we babble on and on about the efficacy of taking advantage of the miracles of vaccines they are dedicating their lives to keeping all of humanity safer from the many diseases and viruses that threaten us, while taking insults and threats on the chin. They are unmitigated heroes in our midst. 

If you are the praying kind of person you may want to thank God for these two remarkable doctors and ask Him to keep them safe while they continue their work. After all, I believe that they are doing the Lord’s work. They and others like them are the miracles that we need.