Inspiration

So...this past Sunday morning I was just sitting at the table having a waffle for breakfast...and some coffee. I happened to look down and saw a magazine that I thought I'd pick through while I was eating. It was from Liberty University - the college where Aaron and I have both finished Master's degrees. I was just scanning the articles, read the one about Glenn Beck speaking at Spring 2010 commencement. Then, I came across a small insert that shocked me. It was about a death in the Liberty community. As I read on, I was shocked even more to find out that, of the few professors that I actually met in person, (my coursework was mostly online) the woman who died was actually Dr. Jill Jones, one of my intensive class teachers. Intensives are 1 week long classes where you go from 8-5 Monday-Friday and receive 3 credit hours. (As a teacher candidate, you have to do this 3 times)! Man was my heart saddened. I remember the first summer I went for my first intensives, 2 back-to-back. All the people I saw in the "break room" were telling me how hard the next class I was taking was going to be - the one with Dr. Jill. I can still remember being so nervous to meet her. And then...it's like I walked into the room and met an instant friend. I loved Dr.  Jill's class...challenging, definitely, but also so enlightening about my career. I didn't go back to Liberty to take my last intensive until 2 summers later, and who did I see one day in the hallway? Dr. Jill. She remembered me! How crazy is that? She remembered about a specific prayer requested I had mentioned (2 years before, mind you) and asked me how the situation had been resolved. I walked away with such a smile on my face! But not before she told me that she would be looking for me in the doctorate program. Holy cow!


That particular class that I took with Dr. Jill was called Methods of teaching Middle School. I focused on the lack of foreign language programs in MSs and why it was so crucial and necessary. I don't think it's a coincidence that I just happen to be teaching that very thing right now! It was such an inspiration to have met her, and I know, even now that she's gone, she'd want all of us, her students, to continue working hard for our students. 


She played us a song one day in class, while asking if any of us had a "life song." Hers was "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman. She just wanted to make a difference, and I know at least for me, she did. We all need a reminder by someone like her that how we treat people is the biggest key to making a difference, in any line of work. 


I won't ever forget Dr. Jill. And who knows, maybe I will end up in that doctorate program, crazy as it sounds. Sheesh