Many many years ago I was taught that teachers are to be respected, revered, thanked and occasionally given a place higher than the Almighty. The last bit confused me slightly. How could someone hold more importance than God? What the quotation meant was that for the fortunate few of us who get an education, teachers play a very important role in shaping our destinies. The value of any type of education is worth its weight in gold. But the value of an education that teaches us to balance the brain with the feelings in our hearts is priceless. Let me elaborate what I mean here.
Contrary to the belief, it is actually not so hard to learn the mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the social sciences, literature and other topics from books, electronic media and through practice. What is difficult are their applications in real life towards doing our best in our professions. What is even more difficult is being smart about how we apply it all to the work we do...and perhaps what is the most difficult task is to decide whether we act with our mind or heart when doing the work we do. I guess that is what makes the school my daughter goes to more special to me than others. The principal and teachers of the school actually have a way of encouraging hard work and comradery amongst students starting from a very young age. They are awarded with what's called a Busy Bee or a Happy Heart certificate. Busy Bee amplifies hard work and sincerity in making academic progress while a Happy Heart symbolizes acts of kindness, compassion and a cheerful demeanor. What a concept! To teach kids to learn the value of sometimes playing fair and at other times being a tough competitor. I believe it takes a great combination of these two attributes for succeeding in the real world. Even amongst the best and most witty politicians and professionals, the ones with charm and charitable intentions are celebrated long after they depart the earth, making this life-lesson a worthwhile one for each one of us to adopt.
I raise my cup-cakes to salute the teachers of yesterday, today and tomorrow with a special thanks to those who will be a significant part of our life through our children's education. These were chocolate cupcakes filled with a dollop of chocolate ganache on the inside and covered with all fondant decorations in keeping with the theme of the Teacher's Appreciation Day this year. For only a busy bee with wings of heart can take flight and enjoy the honey of life. Each cupcake was individualized with the initial of the last name of each teacher to make them feel extra special.
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