For the next couple weeks I will be posting the Gratitude Journal prompts that are being given to my students and my response post.

A student asked what they should they write if they don’t admire anyone. I told the student to just write that they don’t admire any because… When I think of this question it feels a little like one from last week about favorite teacher, that list could have gone on for quite a bit. Except maybe in this case I’m thinking in more historical terms, like which historical figure would I have liked to have known. I think I’m getting tripped up, like my student, on the word “Admire.” 

ad·mire

/ədˈmī(ə)r/

verb

regard (an object, quality, or person) with respect or warm approval.

“I admire your courage”

Maybe it’s a thing where I’ve gotten to an age where admiration doesn’t quite fit in as much as I see leaders or leadership as a function and not a position. My administrator serves a function to help me do my job, but they are not “over me” except in the sense that they are responsible for my performance in the eyes of the managers “over” them. So, I tend not to admire those “on top.” As far as teachers or educators, some of the best that I’ve known over my 28-years are the one quietly slaving away who do their work with dedication and perseverance. They’re not the ones that anyone, except their students and families, have heard of. They are good at what they do and they do it because there is a fire inside of them to do right. I’ve known quite a few of those kinds of educators. They can also be quite irreverent when some administrator tries to tell them what to do. They are teachable and are always learning, but they push back when being micro-managed. Without naming names, those are, at least some of the qualities that I admire in many of my colleagues. How about you, who do you admire?