Adding To the Mix

We started our school this week. Usually the best part about school starting is the end to teacher in-service. I have never been much of a fan of meetings and especially the ones we have during in-service. But I got to say I enjoyed this in-service more than previous years. I think the thing I enjoyed the most were the devotionals. There were two devotionals that stood out during that time; one given by Coach Hawley and one given by Mr. Farris. Coach Hawley spoke about 5 people he met in China while on a mission trip and Mr. Farris spoke about our school, “where amazing happens.” I thought I would use those same two topics and write my own thoughts based on their titles. I will start with the 5 people you meet.
People and places make a large impact on who we are and who we become. I imagine myself as a large mixing bowl, where people add a little here and a little there to create some kind of great meal. The problem we have sometimes is we are not always aware of what’s going into the mix and will it make the outcome better or worse. I think a real sign of maturity and growth is when you can take the bad things thrown into the mix and make them work with all the good things to create a sensational dish. We all experience bad people and bad things, what we have to do is find out how it will make us better. So, I came up with a list of a couple of people who made be me better even though they were only adding bad flavors to a hopefully sensational flavor explosion. (I do realize I am talking about myself, and I feel I am pretty sensational). I will not use their names only give their stories and how it affected me.
I was not the model child in elementary school. I was very active, I like to move around and I needed to be challenged constantly. I had a teacher who could not understand what I needed and tried to use cruel discipline to change behavior. She made me better. I learned that not every kid is alike. She made me a better teacher. I am better at trying to understand my students and meet them where they are and take them further.
I loved basketball. I played all the time. I was not very good in middle school. In fact I was on the 3rd string my 7th and 8th grade years. I hit a growth spurt before my 9th grade year. I also spent the whole summer working on my game. While others were at the pool, I was at the gym. I had a part time job at the local recreation center and that summer before my 9th grade year I had to take a vacation to go to team camp with the varsity basketball team. I remember telling my supervisor and he laughed and told me that I was not good enough to play on the varsity. I played on the varsity. I started on the varsity. Basketball paid for my college education. He made me better. I am a better coach because I don’t see kids for what they are right now but what they could be. I try to turn potential into action.
Sometimes we learn more from those that try to hold us back instead of lift us up. I cannot imagine where I would be without those people. I would even like to honor them because I think they really did a great thing in my life. They caused me to learn how to deal with students and teach kids. They have affected as many lives as those who poured great examples into my life. I am thankful for those experiences, and I will continue to use their bad examples to do great work and change lives for the better. Don’t get me wrong, I never said they were bad people. They were good people; they forgot they were contributing to a young person’s life. I am sure sometimes I have forgotten. I try to remind myself daily that I am chef contributing something to everyone’s mixing bowl. Ask yourself the question-what did you add to the mix today?