Google

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

My Teacher Made Me Do It! Happy World Teacher's Day!

It wasn’t my fault that we got caught underneath the cover of the sky when the sun came and claimed it. 


We had been told many times to go out and face tomorrow, but it wasn’t our fault that it was already tomorrow. Early morning for that matter and time to go back and to do what we were used to doing routinely in the structure of our lives.

Some may have had genuine concern for us because we hadn’t slept. We never worried. We just jumped in the shower and went about our business. We were always  jittering with excitement about what was next on our agenda. We had learned to go with the flow of things since we had been doing these crazy things for quite a bit of time now. Um like forever! 

We never were in a position where we would be frozen by fear over not being able to accomplish the task for the day though we were almost on empty after we’d been running almost 48 hours without sleep. We owned the night and then we owned the day no matter what; even if our heads never hit the pillow and our hearts beat violently because our engine never rested.


But then you come to a point when you realize and accept with openness that you are not young anymore. It is sad, but I will admit that I am bathed with shame over the things my body can no longer withstand because I am no spring chicken. Sometimes I weep in the darkness over the fact that I must sleep in order not to overrun myself because I now get tired. And then I realized that relaxation and creativity go hand in hand.

It wasn’t my fault on the night when I decided to honor myself and give into the thousand count thread pillows that were calling my name. My energy was plummeting. How could I run like a sheep with no shepherd? I could hardly keep my eyes open to even see what was before me. And that is when I realized that everything must change like the season changes from summer to autumn. I must change with it. 

I have vivid memories of my childhood. I may have gone spinning out of control a bit. Okay, a lot but, it echoes in my heart because it was good. 

I shook my groove thang. I fell, and got up. I learned new things in the process. I wasn’t this delicate flower that fell to the ground because I was unable to shine my worth with true conviction in the sun. I was bold. I was tough. Yet still, I did not truly accept my own being or value the temple that was the whole of me then but I am different now. 

I know my purpose. I can smile triumphantly. I am victorious. And I am growing with strength for real because last year around this time and the years before that, I got depressed and cried a bit when my birthday was approaching and I knew the number of year would go up again. LML! But, my slant on life has changed. I have a broader perspective. I am at peace with myself. I feel purposeful. I can happily look back over my life and say triumphantly, "Je suis toujours La" and the joy that I now feel about that truth ain’t my fault!



Speaking of being Toujour La,  last year for my final project in my French class, my teacher made us do a presentation of our choosing completely in French. I could say thank God I am Toujour La after trying to complete such a difficult task. 

Yeah, I have Haitian roots and yes the official language of Haiti is French, but try to speak it in my home and I am told to speak in English. I am not the best at it., LOL! But I chose to write a song and entitled it "Toujour La."  I apologize to all you true French speaking people out there. I tried my best to complete an entire tune in French and it is on Soundcoud and I hope you will listen here: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/toujour-la-by-stephanie-jeannot




I can only blame my teacher. She made me do it. SMH! She was the best of the best of teachers though. Happy world teacher’s day to you Dr Ruiz. You made me do it. I needed a grade. You gave me one. I passed my class. I graduated with high honors. I did it for the educational value. But in truth it wasn’t my fault.


44 comments:

  1. Teachers are so underestimated!! Loved reading this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a great tune even though I don't understand the words to the song being sung. Thanks for sharing your awesome music.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing your song! This was a great way to honor teachers for world teachers day! Love it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy World Teachers day to you. Teachers certainly do deserve recognition.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very creative! Thx for sharing your thoughts (and melodies!).

    ReplyDelete
  6. You do know your purpose and teachers do change children lives.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Aw what a beautiful post! I think a lot of teachers feel underappreciated so it’s great to have a day just for them. And they’re so important! Everyone has a teacher that they remember even all these years later.

    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is such a sweet tribute! As a former teacher, I am always thankful when people recognize the impact teachers make on their students. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! So then this day is also for you. Happy belated world teacher's day to you.

      Delete
  9. Loved this post. We learn so much as we grow older, don't we? I love how we change as we grow.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have a teacher who I love to death and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be in love with Shakespeare and poetry. It is great to honor them when you can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually have to agree with you on that one. A high school teacher of mine taught me to love Shakespeare and ever since, he is one of my favorite writers. She was awesome.

      Delete
  11. It is great when we had someone to push us forward and inspire. I know that we may not have seen it back then, but it's great to realize it now as we are older.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Teachers really are some of the most influential people in a child's life and for the rest of their life. I am so grateful for all of my fantastic teachers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yeah teachers! Unsung heroes that they are!
    I have come to not only accept but to honor my need to sleep. I see it as my number one self-care. But that took time and gaining some wisdom.
    Hope any loved ones still in Haiti are safe and sound following the hurricane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for that. Yes, my family is safe. Sadly, Haiti lost about 500 people, so please keep the country in prayer. Thank you for your thoughts.

      Delete
  14. It's terrific that your teacher pushed and encouraged you to give it a whirl. Wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post. I didn't know they had a teachers day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They have so many cool different holidays throughout the year. Just the other day it was world smile day. I love that we can celebrate things like that.

      Delete
  16. This is such a wonderful post.. I think its very important to know our own purpose in life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah! It helps to bring out the individuals that we are.

      Delete
  17. Teachers are so important, I still have fond memories of my first grade teacher 40 years ago! I love this post so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! That means she was really a great teacher to remember her 40 years later. I hope I will have great memories like that and/or impact someone's life in that way.

      Delete
  18. Teachers are such a important part of children's lives! I still remember my 1st grade teacher.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's awesome. She really impacted your life.

      Delete
  19. I have a teacher that invested in me in a way non of the others did. I love her forever, she helped me to become who I am today. Good or bad.

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's awesome to show our teachers and our kids' teachers what we appreciate them for what they do. They hone people to become better versions of themselves!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's right. They truly do hone people in so many ways.

      Delete
  21. Happy belated world teacher's day! I definitely feel that teachers are not thanked enough for what they do ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But when they see how children or the adults that they gave instruction to have been influenced, that is like a big thank you also. Some of them inspired success.

      Delete
  22. I was lucky to have some great and memorable teachers. Years later my son had one of my old teachers and was blessed by his wisdom as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that was really cool. Lots of stories you two can share. Great conversations over the family dinner table.

      Delete