May you find perspective…

The Power of Perspective

Perspective is all-important when working with children. My grandpa wanted to be a teacher. He was a farmer in the 1930’s through to the 1950’s. He and my grandma had 4 daughters and a son. They were farm kids. My mother was born in an era when getting a post secondary education as a female was rare. She remembers grandpa asking her a question. “What do you want to be, a teacher or a nurse?” In our times, this question may seem limiting. In those times it was liberating. Grandpa was pushing his daughter to get higher education. Somehow, in his traditional, Norwegian-Lutheran, farming community it was important to him that his family have the opportunity to recieve a post-secondary education. This was, in part, why I became a teacher.

When my grandpa passed away, a handwritten letter was found in his desk. We don’t know if he authored it, or if it simply meant something to him so he scribed it. What I do know is that it gives a glimpse into the mind and heart of a farmer who wanted to be a teacher. Here is what it said:

A Vision on Perspective

Perspective is a very important part of our lives, and who needs perspective more than teachers?

Day in and day out the endless grind of the classroom can drain the river of determination and creativity until it becomes a mere trickle of frustration and discouragement. But let that educator catch a renewed glimpse of the impact his or her life is having upon students and the ultimate difference it will make in their future…and the flow of new ideas will likely return in torrents.

Many things help prompt perspective: quietness, a walk in the forest, an evening spent beside a fireplace, camping under the stars, profound strains of music, meaningful worship, a meditation upon scripture, a leisurely drive at sunset… We begin to see more clearly as the fog lifts…and we are running no longer, or confused, or angry, or overwhelmed, or afraid.

‘A Father’s words of Wisdom’
Found in Grandpa’s desk after he had passed away.
Grandpa had always wanted to be a teacher.
He was a farmer, but 2 of his daughters became teachers, and now there are 14 teachers in his offspring…and counting!
Marvin (Grandpa) Johnson

In all the demands of this busy profession, may you find perspective today.