Things to Give

My schedule is even worse than usual. At least I’m not supposed to be teaching for too long but it’s going to be long enough. I still have at least a month left. I’m not sure why I keep committing myself to do things. Today a student commended me for the second day in a row for being in the classroom before the class started. Silly me, I thought that was what teachers are supposed to do. Shouldn’t a teacher be there when class starts? It doesn’t make sense to me that some teachers come in late just because they can. I understand that there may me extenuating circumstances some days, but to be late on a daily basis is a problem. I think when a student is consistently late to class, that is disrespectful to the teacher and vice versa, when a teacher is consistently late to class, that is disrespectful to the class. The learning process is a mutual experience and both the teacher and the class need to contribute.

Anyway, it got me to thinking because the student was so appreciative of something that was so small to me.


What Can You Give?

Somebody needs money
Somebody always needs money
Hands stand still in the air
Waiting to be weighed down

Don’t give, do give, maybe tomorrow give
There’s guilt from not giving
And loss from giving what you can’t afford to lose
To give or not to give is the question

Somebody needs a helping hand
A push up the mountain just to have a glimpse of the view
With no utterance or requests to be placed in front
Just a plea to be closer behind

Will give, won’t give, can’t give, would give
Your heart wants to give
It’s more compassionate than funds allow you to be
Your answer is not to give

Somebody needs your time
Not what’s in your pockets but what’s in your smile,
A thought or expression of respect and acknowledgment
A silent admission that you see them

Can give, want to give, might give, just give
What you lack in money you donate in kindness
It doesn’t hurt you to make eye contact
And give a little bit of yourself

To give or not to give is the question
The answer is simple:
There’s always something you can give.


Status: Realizing that even the smallest acts can be gifts.