To
my friends,
Thank you for coming to work today. You could
have stayed home, you could have done something else or you could have gone
anywhere else. However, you came here, and our children will have a better
tomorrow because of your dedication today.
Several years ago when I was a teacher in the
classroom, I would often get to school really early in the morning. As I entered my
classroom, I would often see the building engineer- sweeping, dusting, cleaning
and preparing the hallways for the new day. I would say “Good Morning,” and he
would simply respond, “Good morning, and thanks for coming in today.” Those
simple words from an unassuming worker in our building kept me going more days
than I want to remember. That simple thank you for doing what I thought was my
job, became recognition for my dedication to this work. It was so gratifying to
be appreciated for doing so much for what I perceived was so little. When he told me “thank you” was when I
realized that my payment was not the chump change in my biweekly check – my
payment was the satisfaction of making a difference in the future of our planet
– one child at a time.
One of my friends, and one of your co-workers
reminded me of that recently. She told me that a little “thank you” would have meant
so much during those early teaching days. You know, those cold mornings when
you just wanted to turn over and go back to sleep, or when the long days and
the boorish students seemed to really weigh you down. Just a simple acknowledgement that you were trying to make a
difference, well, that would have made a difference. You know, that teacher was right, and although I can’t go
back to yesterday, I sure can say “Thank you” today.
Thank you for coming to school today, and every
day – and thanks for working so hard with our children and making such a
difference in their lives.
Your friend,
Your friend,
