Dad Saves the Day

     I believe that life presents you with opportunities in which you can show compassion and “save the day” for someone else.
    My heart was racing and my pits were sweating as I realized that I was without my typing book, and class was about to begin.  I had missed the previous week of school and was working feverishly to complete all of my class work.  I was given permission to take the typing textbook home to work that evening but was given a stern warning that I was to return it the next day.  I feared Mrs. G my typing teacher.  She was by far the meanest teacher I had ever encountered, and I was shaking in my boots when I realized that I had left the book at home.  I was too scared to go to class to face the wrath of Mrs. G., so I did the only thing I could think of…. I ran to my dad’s classroom and begged him to retrieve the book for me.  He did the unthinkable.  He agreed to run home and get my typing book and then wrote me a pass to return to class. The day that my dad showed extraordinary compassion; he became a hero in my eyes.
    What I realize now is that I learned a very powerful lesson that day.  This lesson was far more influential than facing the natural consequences of forgetting my book.  I learned that sometimes when people fall they need YOU to help them back up.  When I first realized that I had forgotten the typing book I was panicked.  There were four minutes between classes, and I had just realized it before class.  I didn’t have much time to react, so I took to my natural instincts and ran to my dad for help. When he agreed to run home to get the book, still perched by our computer, he gave me the greatest gift… freedom from my shortcomings.  I didn’t feel joy knowing that my dad had to bail me out; I was simply relieved that I didn’t have to face Mrs. G. knowing that I had let her down.
    I have used this lesson to help mold the person I am today.  As a student, it made me more responsible.  I never forgot important things again.  I was always checking twice to make sure that I had what I needed in my backpack.  I also learned that there were benefits to going to the same school where my dad was a teacher.  Sometimes it was hard to have my dad at school with me.  I was in middle school, and I wanted the chance to grow and be who I wanted to be. I didn’t always want to be under the watchful eye of my dad and his colleagues. This led me to the discovery that every situation in life has a silver lining.  Sometimes you really have to look hard to find it, but in all things…. good exists!  It still amazes me that this one simple gesture shaped my life in the way that it did.
     When I look back at this event, I think about how it has changed the way I think about both parenting and teaching.  Most often I feel that both students and my own children need to learn from their own mistakes.  By learning from your mistakes, you are able to really think about the effects of your actions.  I also learned that there is a time and a place to offer grace.  There are situations where you need to just be there for your child or your student.  I can remember the FEAR I felt towards Mrs. G the typing teacher.  As a teacher, I want to make sure that no student ever experiences that.  This situation has reminded me that it is important for me to set boundaries and expectations as both a parent and teacher, but also realized that kids need to feel safe and loved.
    Each and everyday you have the chance to make a difference in someone’s day and potentially in someone’s life.  What will you do with the opportunity?