Some people are willing to...
Illustration
Some people are willing to take on the most difficult challenges. Teachers, even teachers in affluent school districts, face enormous obstacles. Parents are often unconcerned or uninvolved, teaching resources may be inadequate, and the school environment may unwittingly discourage rather than encourage learning. Many teachers face these obstacles but still succeed in reaching children and youth with the joys of learning. But some teachers choose to serve in even more difficult settings. They are willing to teach in lower-income neighborhoods, in areas where racism's long-term effects are clearly evident, or in communities where most of the children and youth will (according to the statistics) drop out of school by age fifteen. Their love for children and their commitment to sharing their gifts where they are most needed compels them to teach. So they choose to teach in school districts where love and commitment are needed as much as math and English. We find people from many walks of life who seem to choose a difficult path of service: mothers and fathers who willingly give their best time and resources and their long-term love to nurture their children into healthy adulthood; nurses and doctors in publicly-funded hospitals who daily confront the ravages of AIDS, the hopelessness of drugs, and the deadly effects of guns and knives; caregivers who reach out physically and emotionally to residents in group homes and nursing homes. These people, those who choose the more difficult paths of service, recognize the deep needs of people and respond to those needs by giving their lives away lovingly and generously. -- Spencer
