Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?

~Edward Lorenz

My last post was tinged with a bit of regret. My decision to move so far away from the familiar led me to other decisions that were not very healthy for me. The recovery was (is) long and difficult, but that may be the subject for another post another day. And I left someone behind that I have always wondered about. I don’t really think my life would be better if I had not moved here, but it would certainly be different.

I always get a little sentimental this time of year. With all the final exams behind us now, I have sent another group of classes out into the world. I will see some of those students next year. Some I’m sure I will never see again. For the vast majority of them, I will never know how much of an influence I may be in their lives. That is the nature of teaching though. I can be a very cynical person, but my chosen profession requires an underlying optimism that things can get better and that I might contribute in some small way to help that happen.

I had some teachers that made huge differences in my life. For the most part, I only fully realized how influential they were many years later after I became a teacher myself. By then, I had lost track of them and never had the chance to thank them. I certainly hope that they believe their efforts were not in vain.

I’ll continue to teach as long as I still have more to learn and as long as I think I am making some small contribution to making our world a little better. I don’t expect my students to thank me, though some do. I hold onto a small, silent dream that I have nudged them in a positive direction. And those tiny nudges, even if they are never recognized, stir a whirlwind of change somewhere down the road. I am a butterfly and I am flapping my wings. Watch out world!

Posted by tvansant