Influencing Eternity

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops.”
— Henry Brooks Adams(American writer, 1838-1918)

This quote speaks a lot about my philosophy of teaching and life. As the school year winds down and students leave my classroom. Some I will see again in other capacities and some I won't ever have a conversation with again. However, I have to believe that I was able to be a part of a moment in their life and that something I did or something that we learned in class effected their eternity.

That's why I try to tell them that I care about them everyday. That's why I try to only speak positive words and don't allow name calling, put downs or negative words in my classroom. (I try, don't always succeed, but try.) That's why I stand on my soapbox some days to give them words of wisdom and passionately tell them why good decisions are future making decisions. That's why I share examples from my own life and others' lives.

That's why I am a teacher, because I never know how influence or shape their eternity or your eternity or anyone that interacts with a former student of mine. I know that what I do matters, and I won't always be able to see it, nor hear about it, or know about it. BUT I know it matters and in some way I have influenced and changed these students' futures.

I am only in my 2nd year of teaching, but I am excited to see what my students do in the future, because every little bit I can see hints of greatness in them, showing me that they are capable of it and if they so choose they can be great, they just have to believe it.

So think about it, how do you want to affect eternity? Why do you teach?