All this week I’ve tried to take advantage of my down time during Spring Break to spend as much as I can with our 4-year old son Seely. We have played baseball, basketball, rode his new bike, read books, worked on puzzles, writing, and just hanging out.
Yesterday in the midst of a string of swings and misses while playing baseball Seely got this very determined look on his face. I’ve seen it before and it is actually very hard not to laugh at him when he does it. All the while Dana and I both were encouraging him on his swing and praising his effort. He then gripped the bat a little tighter and hunkered down as Dana prepared to toss the ball to him one more time. Just before she tossed the ball to Seely he calmly and firmly said to us “I won’t give up.”
I was caught off guard by this comment, but I was also very excited and proud to hear him say it as well. I wasn’t really surprised though. You see, Seely has been a fighter since he was born Feb. 14, 2009.
He was born 3 1/2 weeks early. He weighed in at 8lbs 6oz so he didn’t look premature at all. However, there were complications during the 25 hours of labor. He was non-responsive at birth. After allowing Dana a brief moment to hold Seely he was immediately rushed off to the NICU with me in tow. With little explanation I was asked to sign several papers giving the NICU staff permission to do whatever it took to save Seely. I was then told to go back to my family and wait.
After waiting for 4 anguishing hours, it seemed much longer, we finally were able to see Seely again just after midnight. Only this time he had multiple monitoring wires and tubes attached to his head, feet, hand, arms, belly and chest. It turns out he had lost around half of his blood supply during delivery which led to anemia. He had a fever, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck one time and he suffered from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) aka Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD). We were told he may never be “normal.”
Needless to say he’s a tough kiddo and as normal as any other 4-year-old boy. We were home a week later and he has continued to fight and surprise Dana and I each and every day with so many blessings.
What I have learned during my first 4 years as a father and 12 years as an educator is we can’t give up on anyone. We especially can’t give up on our students or one another.
We have the hardest job in the world bar none and the most noble of jobs in the world as well. We must lean on one another and build one another up when we are down and when the politicians and others in the public do as well.
Our job is building the future, the tomorrow, the leaders, learners, and movers and shakers of our future.
I’m proud of what I do and I know the staff I work with each day is very proud as well. I am thankful for them and also for my amazing PLN I have gained since joining Twitter two years ago. You all inspire and motivate me to be better today than I was yesterday and even better tomorrow.
I just hope I inspire others, especially our students in the same way as Seely inspires me – “I won’t give up!”
I challenge each of you reading this post to help a student that may be on the verge of giving up or has quit. We can make a difference in the life of our students at any given moment.
Don’t let the moment you have right now pass you by. Make a difference. Connect with the disengaged and shy student. Build up the struggling student with no support at home.
We may be all they have!
What a wonderful, inspiring post, Bill! I completely agree with you: we “cannot give up on our students or one another.” I think it’s vital for teachers to realize they need to encourage each other to be better and never give up on students. Too often, teachers spend too much time complaining about their grueling circumstances or challenging students when they could be channeling that negative energy into searching for positive solutions through collaboration and inspiring each other. When our focus is on students and doing whatever we can to make an authentic difference in their lives–even through tough times–we are doing our part in helping make our world a better place.
Posts like these really do help make a difference in the lives of teachers by inspiring them to stay determined, which in turn, helps make a difference in the lives of students worldwide. Thanks for sharing your story, Bill!
Thank you for sharing and the kind words Sara!
You may just have a blog post of your own there as well.
Inspirational story. I will always remember Jim Valvano’s speech where he corageously said, “Don’t give up! Don’t ever give up!” We must learn to let our children and students know that we care about them and we will not give up on them.
Interestingly Lorenzo Charles who hit the winning basket to win the NCAA championship for Coach Vavano’s team attended one of the schools I taught at http://cybraryman.com
Much happiness and good fortune with your determined son.
Thank you very much for the comment Jerry! I really appreciate it.
Yes, we must let all our students know we care each day.
Thanks for the well wishes to Seely.
Bill,
Your words are very inspirational and should remind all of us why we went into education in the first place – to motivate, help and inspire our students daily. For some students, we may be the only positive influence that they come across in a day.
Your son’s determination is great! That will serve him well in life.
I’m thankful that I came across this post on Twitter. I just started a post yesterday about the power of making connections on Twitter and this proves my point.
Thanks again for the wonderful post and for reminding us of the awesome responsibility that we have with our students. My best to you and your family!
Thanks so much for sharing, reading, and your kind words.
Connections near and far can be powerful. I’m glad we have connected.
I look forward to reading your post.
Out of the mouths of babes are often words of wisdom! Thx for sharing!
Thanks for reading, sharing, and commenting Bruce! I appreciate it very much.
true that.
Thanks Kristin!
Inspiring….these types of stories inspire and energize me and my staff! thanks for making a gray day in Illinois much brighter!
Thank you Tim for taking the time to read, share, and comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Very inspiring! Thank you!
Thank you for reading Noor. I appreciate it!
This reminds me that we all have a story to tell — most teachers have a story to tell about why they hang in there year after year teaching students. Well, students sometimes have a story to tell as well. One goal I’ve always had as a teacher is to create a relationship and environment with my kids so they feel free to share “their story.” You are so right: for some of our kids, we are all they have as a source of encouragement and to make them feel valued. Thanks for sharing. That Seely is going to do GREAT things some day!
Thanks Julie. Yes, we all do have a story to tell. Including several of our students.
Thank you for creating a classroom where students are willing to open up and share with you!