*** Never feel what you know is not important enough to share: mentor!
From Denny: This week a famous American teacher passed out of this life and into a new adventure. His name was Jaime Escalante and it was his life story told in the movie "Stand and Deliver." He was well educated and worked at NASA. Yet when he read of the failing schools in Los Angeles he quit his high-paying job and went to teach advanced math at one of those failing schools, Garfield High School. He fought the public school system's failing mindset cemented into the old ways of doing things, believing low income kids were not smart enough or motivated enough to learn advanced math. Escalante proved them all wrong: the educators who ran the schools, the parents and the students.
Escalante brought faith in his students and passion to the job of more than teaching: He was a mentor of gigantic proportions. Today, many of his students are successes, working at NASA or teaching the same calculus to their students that he taught them. Most of all he taught a group of people to believe in themselves. He taught the educators to never give up their faith and reach higher so their students can succeed in life.
Cosmic consciousness by h.koppdelaney @ flickr
Mentoring others is important no matter what stage you are living in your life. You can be young or old. You can teach the young, those older, those your same age. Teach what you know and share your life experiences. You never know who you will inspire. And, as you teach, you learn from them too. Never feel what you know is not important enough to share. Never be too proud to receive knowledge from others eager to share what they have just learned or figured out. For today's shared knowledge just might answer tomorrow's problems - for them and for you. Mentoring: it's a fair exchange, don't you think? :)
Legacy of Love
Have you ever thought about…
All the knowledge in the Universe?
Have you ever thought about…
Your place in millions of information bits?
Have you ever thought about…
Why your experiences were important?
Did you know that on the other end of that information
Lived someone waiting for you to tell them about it?
Did you know that in the world every day there is
A person sharing what they know with someone else
Who yearned for the solutions to their problems but
Did not know where to find that knowledge – until you?
The old speak of their long lives while the young listen.
The young shout their enthusiasm while the old smile.
When tough times strike we all stretch out helping hands.
When Life is sweet we lift up our hearts in shared Joy.
Kindness and sharing creates more kindness and sharing,
Giving comfort and ease to many hearts, lightening the load.
When at first we meet as strangers we become friends.
Sharing our experiences we relax into deep friendships.
Family we become when we give Love and receive Love.
Have you ever seen all the thoughts floating in the Universe
Wondering of their origins and how long they were seeking?
Sharing what you know is your legacy of Love.
Denny Lyon
Copyright 4 April 2010
All Rights Reserved
* * * Check out the Complete Poem List for more selections.
*** This post was originally posted first at The Social Poets blog on 4 April 2010 when Jaime Escalante passed away.
A Powerful Mentor: Remembering Jaime Escalante
Photo Credits
Galaxies and universes by Torley @ flickr
Cosmic consciousness by h.koppdelaney @ flickr
Fun in the rain by Nina Matthews Photography @ flickr
Looking into eternity by jasleen_kaur @ flickr
Helping hands by batega @ flickr
Artist's concept of the universe by NASA Goddard Photo and Video @ flickr
Walking into the sun by Harold Laudeus @ flickr
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