Just One Job...May Change My Life
The sound of graphite on paper
Fills the room
As students qickly take notes
About DNA and evolution
Pictures of Darwin and double helixes
Line the white walls of the classroom
Light chatter floats trough the air
As the ring of the bell grows nearer
*Ring! Ring! Ring!*
The stampede forces their way through the door
One student lingers behind
"Miss Wilson..." she says
Her eyes dark and void of emotion
She stands there pleading for help
I ask what's wrong
Only to receive a grave backstory
Taking her shaking hands in mine
I giver her the best advice I can muster
She embraces me in a loving hug
Repeating "You are the best teacher in the world."
Years later, long after she's graduated
One young woman lingers behind
After the stampede has left
"Miss Wilson..." she says
Her eyes gleaming an hands steady
"Years ago you gave me advice
I wanted to come back to thank you
Thank you for turning my life around
You truly are the best teacher in the world."
Taking her steady hands in mine, I say
"Sometimes teaching isn't just about the subject
Sometimes it is about offering a helping hand
To someone who needs it most."
She embraces me in a loving hug
Then walks out the door
I may have changed her life years ago
But today she has changed mine.