Day 438 - Students are Awesome!

One of the students in my class is incredibly intelligent, but obviously has some disabilities. He speaks 3 languages fluently, and knows a few others in varying degrees. I found out today that he had a serious auto accident and suffered severe brain trauma. He has trouble walking, writing, and speaking, but it is obvious that he is brilliant. He can't afford to buy the textbook, so he's been memorizing the PowerPoint slides to help him succeed in the class.

He's having problems in his math class, but he is so determined to pass, I have no doubt that he'll be successful.

I had been warned that he was going to be a challenge in my class. What I didn't expect was that the challenge would be directed at me. He makes me think and forces me to be a better instructor. I had a great chat with him today at around noon, when he was eating lunch in the quad as I was returning to the office from running some errands. He inspires me.

On another note, Steve gave me his blessing tonight that if I wanted to get my Master's degree in English, that he would support me. We desperately need English instructors, and there is a strong likelihood that will only get more critical in the next few years. My big challenge will be finding a program that will fit with my work schedule. An online-only program would be ideal, but there aren't many of those, and what I've found so far have been for-profit universities that don't have the level of accreditation that we usually require from our instructors' degrees. I will keep looking. If any of you have any recommendations, please send them my way.

Is there someone in your life that inspires you in ways that you didn't expect, like my disabled student? There are likely to be people in your life with stories that might inspire you. Use that information to spark you toward a new tomorrow. You never know what you might discover about yourself!

Keep Sparking, dear friends! You inspire me every day!