dr. byrd.

this past semester i had a professor who taught me so much more than educational psychology, or literacy methods. she taught me how to handle situations in life that may be deemed as unwanted. the last day of class, after the final i was in her office having a pity party. i was crying from the daunting tasks that lay ahead for me in the next 8 months, when she said something that turned my frown upside down.

she told me that one of her hobbies was memorizing poetry. 

she said that she has memorized 88 different poems, 

and numbered them all in her head so she could retrieve them when needed.

she said i needed to hear number 10.

and this is what she told me:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

so although my summer now is sitting inside a air conditioned classroom, taking tests weekly because i'm on the fast track, and it doesn't include a fun trip to europe, or even a road trip to the beach, i'm ready to finish up this college career of mine. i'm ready to have my own class filled with fifth graders. i'm ready to teach them, just as dr. byrd taught me.