upon realizing the power of one~

"I am only one but I AM one.  I cannot do everything but I can do SOMETHING and I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I CAN."  Edward Everett Hale

     I'm not even sure where I first saw that quote by Edward Everett Hale, an American author and historian who died in the early 1900's.  But the moment I read it a few years back, I adopted it as my goal for whatever life remained for me here on earth.  With a current world population of well over 7 billion people, the idea of one person making any difference in the whole scheme of things might seem a bit on the "ridiculous" side.  How can one single person do anything to make a difference in this place?  Who would even notice and more importantly, who would even care?  The answer to those questions is easy and I see it on a daily basis and my dear friends and family, I would dare to say that you see it too.

     It's early, way early here along the Western Slopes this morning.  Somewhere out there, the "18" are tucked inside their places of rest and I hope they will have received a good night's slumber. We will be quite busy in our classroom and I need for them to be awake, alert and ready to learn.  For sure Mike and oddly enough, even Sally the dog are fast asleep and thus I find myself in a quiet house with only the sound of coffee brewing in the background. I'm thinking about that quote and the impact it has had for me.  It's in these very earliest of hours in the morning that I do some of my best and most profound reflections of life and the person that I have become. 

     As an educator for dang near 4 decades of time, I've had the chance to see first-hand how the power of one person making a difference works out.  I've taught in a dozen schools, worked for many administrators and shared experiences with hundreds of other educators and support staffs.  It doesn't matter whether it was at Lincoln or Avenue A Elementary Schools in Hutchinson, Kansas or Olathe Elementary School in Olathe, Colorado.  The concept of the "power of one" was at work and I was a witness to it each and every day back home on the great plains of Kansas and continue to see it today along the Western Slope of Colorado. 

    Friends, consider this.  I'm positive that today in the hallways of our elementary school that someone will notice a small child with their shoes untied and stoop down to tie them for him.  Another person will give a hug to an older kid who looks like the day didn't start off quite right for them.  A teacher will give a pep talk to students who have perhaps become complacent and admonish them to remember that they have way more capability than they are showing at present.  Some child, some little one whose belly is empty will receive a tray of nourishment to take away the hunger and not once mind you, but twice in this day.  The list goes on and one but you get the idea right?  One person at a time, one person at a time my dear friends.

     How about me?  What am I going to do to make any difference this good Thursday?  I've been attempting to do that with students since the early days of teaching in 1979 and I laugh now to think of it but many of the teachers I work with weren't even born then.  Hey that's ok because we all have to begin somewhere.  I began then.  I have made mistakes aplenty and learned well from each one of them along the way.  Today I will have many chances to exercise my right to do what I can without worry or regard to the things that I cannot.  More than likely it will be right there in our classroom but it can just as easily be found in the hallways, on the playground or in the teacher workroom.  Those opportunities will present themselves without even being asked and if my eyes are open and my mind is ready for the chance, they will be mine.  I kind of look at it as a way to keep growing myself and if I am honest then I would tell you that even though I always thought I was a good educator for all those years before, I still have room to change and become even better. 

My dear family and friends, I invite you to look around today and see how the power of one person doing what they can for those around them makes an impact in your day.  It's all around you, I promise and oh by the way, here's the nice thing.  Most of those people, you included, exercise their right to make a difference without even knowing they are doing it. They do it day in and day out, each and every day for one reason only.  It's the right thing to do. 

Have a great day everyone out there.  I can never tell you enough and if I've said it a thousand times already, well then here is time "one thousand and one".  Thank you for being my friends and caring about what happens to me.  Whether you live in Kansas or Colorado or even a hundred other places across this big world of ours, it was no accident that we met and became friends.  I hold that thought very close to my heart.  May God bless this day for you.

Mrs. Bette Harris made a difference in the life of a little fourth grade girl named "Peggy Ann Scott".

No doubt about it, friends like these have and will ALWAYS make a difference in my life, no matter how far away we find ourselves from one another.

There's a good chance that I made a difference in this kid's life :)  Michael, Michael, Michael..you can't help but to love him!