I'll admit that I can easily get passionate enough about a topic that I can go to great lengths to argue my point. I can easily get frustrated when people don't automatically see things my way and it is something that I sometimes have to check myself on. Being patient does not come naturally for me. Last week I wanted so badly to espouse my thoughts on guns in schools, our mental health system, failing parents and failing legislators in an effort to deliver what I thought was a common sense approach to school and student safety. But my temper wasn't ready to put that out there yet and I had to be patient. Being combative and argumentative toward others that are a part of the process, often alienates them when we should being finding common ground instead. So in my attempt to regain rationality, I look to positive people that are up lifting. This week's voting for Teacher of the Year told me that many of you may have been feeling the same way.
Michelle Galloway has always been the same. Her ever-positive, bright smile is infectious. I first met her when she was still teaching for a Pitt County school and she arrived with a group of people that were interested in starting a church and needed a place to host others on Sundays. At that first meeting, I had no idea if she could teach or not (but trust me, she certainly can). I saw someone that cared. She knew many of our current students and that same positivity shined through. I knew right away that I needed her here. Despite working with some of our most needy students, that positivity has been unwavering. It's just hard to have a bad day when you're in her classroom.
The world needs more people like Mrs. Galloway. We have enough hot-tempered ones that are ready to argue all of the time. And while I don't see myself losing those character traits anytime soon, I am also smart enough to know that there are many times when a bright smile and a helping hand will achieve so much more than criticism ever could. We need more of that.
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