Shining Thru

But he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose. - Anne Bronte

I think there is a lot of truth to this statement and a lot of time we forget, as our society turns more and more towards this feeling of entitlement, that most good things come with some bad, and most bad things come with some good.  I don’t know anyone who likes to get pricked by the thorns of a rose as they pick it off of the bush, but some how, we can’t resist picking it anyway and holding it close to smell the sweetness….even if our fingers are bleeding a little bit, at least we can smile and sigh of delight as we breathe in the fresh scent.

How many people today feel that they are entitled to something for nothing?  I see it all of the time in the younger generation especially.  High school students who feel they don’t need to do the daily work because they should be allowed to have extra credit later….or if they are failing by one point, then it’s their teacher’s fault that they failed because the teacher should have given them that one point.  I don’t know how giving anybody anything, especially at that young age teaches responsibility of any kind.

Sometimes we have to be willing to take the bad with the good.  You want a better paying job, but don’t like the long hours it requires….sometimes that’s the thorn….you want a cute and cuddly baby but don’t want to be up with them all night….sometimes that’s the thorn on the rose…..sometimes you are feeling depressed but a friend calls and brightens your entire day…sometimes that’s the rose.

I think that most things we encounter have the good and the bad…it’s a system of equality that God or the Universe or whatever you believe in came up with to maintain order….besides if we didn’t know what bad was, how would we know what good was?  Have you ever stopped to think if something can exist without an opposite?

The invisible girl at the end of the counter

Waiting again, she sighs and stirs the coffee

Waiting in the shadows alone

Waiting to be seen, but not willing to step out

Knowing there is more out there but feeling trapped

Having memorized the fairytale

Waiting for the magic transformation

Sitting with another bruise and sunglasses

Sitting with as much hurt on the inside

Wanting him to walk in and find her

But dreading the discovery at the same time

Invisible….is the thought

Invisible is the best way

What is the purpose of an education?  Teachers today have to teach their content area, act as a mother/father, counselor, nurse, teach manners, etiquette, coach…and basically just fill in the gaps.  Why is it that some parents can be so wonderful and supportive of their children, while others can’t wait for school to start back up because they feel like schools provide free child care and comes with statements like:  “let them deal with them” or “they’re your problem now.”  It amazes me that some people don’t even want to own up to the fact that they have children, have no interest in raising them, simply give birth and leave it at that.

It’s amazing how some kids can be sent to school without having had anything to eat, no money, and haven’t slept at all the night before for whatever reason.  Then teachers are suppose to get that child ready for college when that kid really needs a good home life, not to know his times tables.  Not that they don’t need an education or don’t deserve it, but how can we expect these children to concentrate on academic work when all that they can think about is how hungry they are?

Are teachers suppose to work on the character of the student, the academics of the student, the extracurricular activities and abilities of the student, or supporting the student?  The truth is that they are expected to do all of that and make sure that the child is ready for college and “the real world.”

Today teachers are held accountable, which sounds like a good idea, until you realize that the people coming up with the standards and the evaluation process have never had anything to do with education.  They aren’t putting the students first, they are putting the numbers first, and that is not the way to help our students.