It's true, great teachers really do inspire. Every now and again people will ask me why I chose the teaching profession. I like to respond clearly with, "I wanted to inspire." Of course to inspire other's means you need to be open to being inspired. Being around children is inspiring in itself but seeing them learn to grasp new concepts is cause for celebration. I enjoy letting the kids know that they have inspired me to try my best, to try something new, or just to try being silly.
I still remember a time when I was inspired by a teacher. I was in 1st Grade and we were all practicing our handwriting skills. I was diligently following the dotted lines for each letter when my teacher (her name escapes me) tapped me on the shoulder. She told me I was doing so well that she couldn't tell which letters had dotted lines and which ones I wrote all on my own. My smile swells just thinking about it even today. She inspired me to write neatly and be proud of a job well done. I know it's a simple story but keep in mind, simple goes a long way!
