Old Age Day by Day May 14,2010

This morning I realized our family is absolutely riddled with teachers. Our younger daughter is getting her teaching certificate tonight, and we're really proud of her. But then, what choice did she have? Her older brother and his wife are teachers. Her older sister and her husband are teachers. I'm a teacher. Only her dad and our younger son are holdouts. And they do meaningful work in science and art for equally low salaries. Of course this means a lifetime of being underpaid, underappreciated and struggling with massive stress, but there is some gene in that pool that keeps popping up. My Dad's mom was a teacher, and she was one tough lady. I think she got the lion's share of the genetics. So here we all are, in a profession where you have to have a huge sense of humor and an arsenal of stress management techniques to survive. We do yoga, meditation, lots of nature walks and staring at lakes and mountains.

None of us will ever get rich, but we know what we do matters. One teacher, one moment can save a kid - just give a glimpse of an alternate universe, where he/she is seen and heard. We witness, and give voice to each person's desire to matter in the vast universe. Powerful stuff, but unsung in our culture, where the worth of a person is based on salary and the accumulated toys.

I honor our family tradition, and am proud that we face a cautious economic landscape with determination and our heads screwed on straight. I'm happy for our daughter, who cares about others, and has enthusiasms she wishes to share. Here's to teachers, the social glue that makes children into citizens, and adults into people who can think critically and serve our country well.