The following post was originally shared by The Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. For the full article, click here: 11 Reasons To Teach, by Sister Mildred
Sister Mildred, a life-long Catholic educator, recently passed away and left behind a beautiful letter among her belongings about the joy of Catholic school teaching. This reflection, hand-written on a piece of paper, included 11 reasons why she loved to teach first grade. She titled it,”First was Best.”
1. Where else would I tie so many hair ribbons and shoe strings, and button coats every day?
2. Where else could I see a style show of pretty dresses and shirts?
3. Where else could I wear the same dress day after day and be told each day that “it is pretty”?
4. Where else could I eat a sticky piece of candy from grimy little hands and not get ill? (I had to eat it because the child would smile and watch me eat it).
5. Where else could I walk down the rows of desks and have a warm hand touch me?
6. Where else could I guide the first letter formation of a chubby little hand that may someday write a book or sign an important document?
7. Where else could I forget to listen to the State of the Union address because little Stevie isn’t grasping reading as he should, so I had to give him more time and help?
8. Where else could I forget my own aches and pains because of many cut fingers, scratched knees, and broken hearts that need care?
9. Where else would my mind have to stay so young as the group whose attention span is so short that I had to keep a “bag of tricks up my sleeve.”
10. Where else can you see their happy eyes as I told them stories about about Jesus and God our Father?
11. Where else could I feel so close to my Creator as I did each year, when I help God’s children learn to read, write, spell, sing, dance, pray and play?
