What Do You Make?

During a dinner party, a self-important business executive said, “The problem with our education system starts with teachers. What can our kids learn from people who decided their best option in life was to become a teacher? Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach."

A guest protested, “I’ve been a teacher for 20 years, and that’s simplistic and unfair.”

“Really?” the executive said. “Then be honest, what do you make?”

“I suppose you’re thinking of money,” the teacher replied. “I earn enough, but let me tell you what I make.

“I make other people’s children read, think, write, wonder, and talk about important things such as the world and their role in it.

“I make them appreciate the value of education, not simply as a way to make a living, but as a way to make a life.

“I make them work harder than they want to and accomplish more than they thought possible.

“I encourage them to be skeptical without being cynical, and to be optimistic without being naïve.

“I make them understand that the quality of their life will be determined by their choices, and I make them take responsibility for their actions.

“I make them feel proud, capable, and worthy when they try hard.

“I make them appreciate the importance of integrity and honor in a world that too often shows little regard for either.

“I make them respect themselves and treat others with respect.

“I make them feel proud and grateful to live in America where people are entitled to be treated fairly and with respect and judged by their accomplishments and character, not by their color, creed, or by the size of their bank account.

"Most of all, I make a difference.

“So now,” the teacher said to the executive, “tell us what you make.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.