Domino Pushers
I sometimes wonder if the truly invested teachers and librarians out there ever take the time to think about the impact they have on the world. The impact on individuals that they meet along the way. And how their reaching out to elevate the spirit a child is like knocking down a winding path of dominoes. Dominoes that can fall for years to come.
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I wonder if teachers and librarians like this ever stop to think how they change the world within the walls of their classrooms and libraries. How paying attention to the quiet child who could slip under the radar can change a kid’s perception of themselves. Change their internal compass. How realizing that sometimes the kid who creates the biggest commotion is asking for help in the only way he knows how.
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I just read a comment from a librarian who spent her vacation reading five middle grade books and couldn’t wait to get back to school with them because she knew the exact students she would share them with. She was not patting herself on the back. She was not boastful.
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She is a hero.
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Today, I am thinking of the teachers and librarians who are quietly going about their day just as they always do. Saving children. With the right book. Or a hand on a kid’s shoulder. A knowing glance or nod. Some acknowledgment of understanding. A recess period of one-on-one help. Whether it be academic or otherwise.
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And, I’m thinking of one child who desperately needs one of these heroes.
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STRONG SHOULDERS 
Sometimes the shortest of blog posts are the ones that sit with us. Hours after reading. I can’t stop thinking about kids who need and deserve gestures of kindness and go without. I, too, am thinking of this child who desperately needs a hero. I hope they don’t wait too long.
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Thank you so much, Betsy. She has already waited far too long.
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This IS the reason I went into teaching. My first plan was social work, but when my father, who is also a teacher said, “What about the impact you could have on 20 kids?” I was hooked! I’m all about the social learning being in place before the academics. I want to know about my students as people before I know their test scores…more importantly I want them to know that too!
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Great, comment, Jessica! The world needs teachers like you! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
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I was really touched by your article. I read your article and immediately thought of the great staff at our school who are always reaching out to help students, whether their own or others. I do believe it takes a village, you never know which student you will impact with a kind word or gesture or simply attention. I shared your article with our staff and hope they find it as uplifting as I did. I also hope they read One for the Murphys. It has run like wildfire through my library since that first read by the sixth grader I mentioned in my blog article. I can’t wait to read your next book.
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