Going to school for the first time is exciting when you’re a kid.  Teachers smile, parents beam, you get new clothes and carry your lunch…all new!

I remember my mother giving me her hand and confidently walking me into class for the first time not so long ago (it feels like from this side).  Because I felt her pride and enthusiasm, I felt confident, too.

On this Mother’s Day I want to give thanks to all those mothers who delivered their children to new horizons with a bright outlook. God smiles on mothers everywhere.  Share your smiles with them, too!

When I was on your side my son died from an overdose.  One day he was 18, the next day he wasn’t alive. Regardless, he was my son.  In truth, however, I mourned his loss long before his death.  Because as any parent of an addict will tell you, the child you knew is no longer there.

Looking back now, I wish I would have taken more time to be with him as he was growing up, even if just for errands or day outings.  Too often kids insist they’d rather be with their friends, but deep inside what they’re really hungry for, often desperate for, is your time and attention.  Nothing about achievements or chores; just shared times and smiles.

Sometimes it takes all of us – kids and parents alike – to realize how much we really do want to be together.  Don’t let death be what it takes to wake you up.

Most school teachers know what they need to know to teach certain subjects (say mathematics), but may not know much about the very act and essence of learning. 

While learning is complex, it can become genuinely easy when you get kids’ hearts racing.  It triples their learning capacity, and they retain the information most of their lives.

To see teachers with huge smiles and wishful enthusiasm calling on eager students, is to witness scholars in the highest.  They are our best and brightest teaching our best and brightest! 

Become a teacher if you believe you can help young people get over the malaise of classroom boredom.  It’s mind-numbing and can be remedied.  You may just be the one to help make the miracle happen!