Inspiration

Do you have a story that reminds you why we all must work hard to make education better? I have many.

This is a story that one of my mentors used to share with her students. I then shared it with mine. It reminds me how each child is unique, and how important it is to create environments where each child can thrive.

It might not be possible to make that place for every child, but I can at least help make a difference for some. It is my hope that each child I make a difference for, in turn, will make a difference for others.

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One day a man was walking on a beach when he saw another man coming the other way who appeared to be dancing.  As he drew nearer he could see the man was not dancing, but was gently picking up starfish from the beach and throwing them back into the sea.

“Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?” he asked.

“Because they have been washed ashore, the day is getting hot and if I do not throw them back they will die,”  replied the dancer.

The man looked around him and saw that the beach went on for miles and that there were many thousands of starfish along its length.

“But there are too many,” he protested to the dancer. “You can’t possibly make a difference.”

The dancer smiled, picked up another starfish and gently tossed it beyond the waves, back into the sea.

“I made a difference to that one!” he said.