I recently ran into one of my former students from my days as an elementary school principal, and that encounter has provided the subject for our FTM Thought for this week. I spent nine years at Union Heights, some of the most rewarding years in my educational career, and during those years I saw the incredible significance of and critical roles our elementary school teachers play in the development of our children. It is safe to say that from the time a child enters elementary Pre-K or Kindergarten and then leaves as a rising middle schooler the change is unbelievable. Just the physical changes alone are mind blowing, but add to that the knowledge gained and breadth of experiences encountered through those formative years and you have the makings of a future leader in our community!
Well such is the case with my former student Nicholas. Nick is currently a 7th grader at one of our local middle schools where I recently found myself assisting with lunch duty. When I happened upon Nick, now almost standing eye to eye with me, I was reminded of a story that involved Nick and a little seed from a slice of an orange. Nick is a born and raised farm boy. From the moment I met Nick at five years of age, he could already do more on his family farm than a considerable portion of the adult population could navigate. On their family farm animals and produce were raised so it was just natural that Nick would look at a seed and see the potential where others would might just see a nuisance while snacking on their orange.
Around the time that Nick was in second grade, he came to school one day with a small 18-24" tree for a class demonstration. I was intrigued and wanted to find out the back story on little Nick's demonstration. It turned out that the tree Nick was displaying in his classroom was the product of a seed found in a slice of orange Nick had during lunch one day when he was in Kindergarten. Wow! For over two years Nick had nurtured and pampered a small, insignificant orange seed to its current stance as a seedling tree. I was so impressed and actually a better verb to describe my reaction would be inspired. Here was this young boy not far removed from being a toddler that saw enough purpose in that one little orange seed to purposefully take it home, plant it in nourishing soil, and then to care for it from the first stage of breaking through the ground as a tiny vein up to the point of becoming a full- fledged tree. How many of us eat an orange, apple, or even a watermelon and as we are spitting out the seeds, stop to give even a passing thought to the potential of that insignificant, bothersome seed? I would be willing to gander a guess that the thought doesn't cross many of our minds.
Fast forward to this past week of school 2019. When I saw Nick, the fond memory of that orange seed and the sapling it became overtook my train of thought. Surely the sapling hadn't survived the severe winters of East Tennessee? More than likely Nick had gotten tired of fooling with the little twig of a tree and discarded it by now I thought. So I asked Nick about the orange tree from second grade. Nick revealed to me that he certainly did still have the tree and not only was it doing exceptionally well, but it now stands about four feet tall and bushes out each summer. It doesn't have fruit yet, but Nick is patiently awaiting the day that he harvests his first orange from his Kindergarten adopt a seed move. If I was impressed back when Nick was in second grade, I'm not really sure what word could describe the warmth inside my heart at hearing about Nick's orange tree.
Nick's story should serve as a motivator and an inspiration to each of us as we go about our journey through this life we have been given to live. Whether it is a small child we have the opportunity to work with in a school, on a team, at a church or club, or maybe just the little kid that lives in your neighborhood, we each have the opportunity to value that child just as the seed that Nick looked at and saw a potential tree not a brief barrier in our way. Nick could have spit the seed out onto his lunch tray, dumped it in the trash receptacle, and nothing or nobody would have ever been the worse for it. But because he stopped and looked at that seed and thought about the potential of that little insignificant seed, it now is a full-fledged tree with unlimited potential and purpose in its life. That is what we must do in the lives of those we have the opportunity, no responsibility to invest in each day.
When you see a child, see that child as a future surgeon, the next mayor of your home town, or maybe as the future teacher of your own child or grandchild. The potential of that child is locked up ready to flourish, it just needs to be nurtured and cultivated. Cared for and encouraged. Provided with the nourishment and "SON" light that you can provide!
He
called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And
he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever
takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew
18:2-6
Enjoy the week!Coach Carter
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