Bird Droppings July 26, 2026
My latest theory on education is that teachers need to care.

I have been helping my oldest son, who teaches high school AP Environmental Science, get his room ready over the past few days. With school starting back again in just a few days, it is like remembering years past; the past few weeks have seen numerous former students call, email, run into me at Publix or Kroger, text, and/or message me on Facebook. Some are former students and non-students who would spend time in my classroom over the years, holding Stevie the wonder snake or asking questions about various animals in my room, stopping by to check on favorite animals, or asking me to take pictures of their weddings. Two days ago, a little girl, now a mom and in medical residency, messaged me. I recall many days back, a former model in New York City and Milan, now a past winner of Next Greatest Baker, a mother and TV cooking specialist came by, and as I sit and think, how powerful are we as teachers? Whether a student accepts what we say or not, we are a direct influence on students. The key factor is whether we impact them positively or negatively. That is the big question I ask daily as I carry on, getting students to think and ponder. I wonder: do they learn or take up space?

“The real difficulty, the difficulty which has baffled the sages of all times, is rather this: how can we make our teaching so potent in the motional life of man, that its influence should withstand the pressure of the elemental psychic forces in the individual?” Albert Einstein

I have used this quote in several presentations in graduate school, in my dissertation, and over the years; similar lines have been used by presenters at the county’s teaching staff kickoffs. We do have a very powerful impact on children, and many teachers do not realize the impact beyond the moment they teach that wonderful lesson. I often refer to my own children, and the impact teachers have made on them as I talk with kids. One teacher, who is a good friend, had all three of my sons, and each would say she is one of the best teachers they have had and one of the hardest. It could be because thinking was required and thinking was needed, often not requested, just implied, and you would do it because of the teacher and the teacher’s example and attitude.
But this teacher also knows that tomorrow this student will be in another classroom with another teacher, and maybe will be a father or mother, teaching their own children. Our jobs do not end with the bells as so many teachers think.

“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.” Mother Teresa

It is difficult for me even to imagine the ability to do what Mother Teresa did day after day. She would walk the streets of India dealing with poverty and human suffering. We can barely imagine our comfortable world. She asks to light a light in people’s hearts, and I try to compare and feel like a match struck, barely casting a spark.

“No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.” Barbara De Angelis

“The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.” Ethel Percy Andrus

As I look at my day and my effort to try and emulate some of humanity’s great givers. I realize I am here now, at this moment, and that the other person was there at that moment. For now, even if only a spark, a minimum of light, it is still some light, and it is shining. What I can do now, in the context of where I am, is what is so important. I recall my mornings spent in the hall literally talking to students, often students who are walking down the hall, just simply being there. I interject questions about how you and such are, and often more times than not make some smart remark. I wonder if they are still grouchy today. Yesterday, my friend, who wasn’t speaking to me, followed me down the hall directly behind her, with comments like, “Some people just are annoying; they stop talking to other people for no apparent reason.” Anyway, after about fifteen feet of annoying remarks, she turned around, cracked up, and said, “OK, I will talk to you.” Later in the day, I, well, holding back, spilled out. Have you ever tried to listen to a kid with ADHD try to explain why they were mad at you and all that has happened in a week in fifteen seconds or less? Hypersonic listening is required.

“It is rare indeed that people give. Most people guard and keep; they suppose that it is they themselves and what they identify with themselves that they are guarding and keeping, whereas what they are actually guarding and keeping is their system of reality and what they assume themselves to be.” James Baldwin

“It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.” Richard Braunstein

Always, as I read Mother Teresa’s comments, the “L” word comes up time and time again: love. In teaching, it is often difficult to use that word; even parents find it hard to tell their children. I have heard many times the line “My children know I love them even if I do not tell them”.

“The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of oneself to others.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards

It amazes me how people do not see how love and giving are selfish. When you love and when you give, it is nearly always returned, and the circle is complete. I know this is an understatement, and love and giving are not selfish by any means, but it is so true that this circular motion occurs; it may be simply the feeling of doing well. It has been a few months since I did a poster for school about the relief fund one of the classes had started. There was a feeling of goodwill, of love. While these kids will never witness any effect of what they do here in our town collecting money for a relief fund, there is satisfaction and pride in their effort.

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran

“He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.” Lao-Tzu

I have been a visitor in schools where teachers wall themselves up in their rooms, opening the door for class and lectures, then close the door, open the door, and maintain this assembly line routine throughout the day. They never once have true contact with a student. They take roll and call names. I did that the other day: started calling names and said We have been required to call roll, and students must raise their hand and say present. After about two or three students actually did it, one pipes up, “Mr. Bird, but you know we are here,” and therein lies the difference. Some teachers are so engrossed in not knowing their students that they never know they are there. Many choose not to give for fear of caring.

I had a situation where a student was not coming to school. I called the home and spoke to “a dad”, if I can call him that. He was pleasant and polite. I asked about his daughter, who is a ninth grader. According to him, she was with friends for the weekend, and he had told her she was responsible for her ride to and from a town about thirty miles distant. In an average car, at, say, 20 miles per gallon, that is about three or four gallons, maybe five gallons, of gas, and if careful, we can get gas for $3.92, so it is maybe $25.00 in gas. It seems she could not get a ride back, and he told her he could not afford to get her. Perhaps my comprehension was a bit off while I was speaking with him. If one of my children went out of town for the weekend and was unable to get home, I would have found twenty-five dollars in gas or found a way to get them home. My reason for calling was due to her attendance. A few weeks later, that student quit on her sixteenth birthday and left home.

“A handful of pine-seed will cover mountains with the green majesty of forests. I too will set my face to the wind and throw my handful of seed on high.” Fiona Macleod

“We must give more to get more; it is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.” Orison Swett Marden

“In Giving, a man receives more than he gives; and the more is in proportion to the worth of the thing given.” George McDonald

I was looking through old photos from back in the day and found several of some friends from Auburn, Alabama. These photos go back nearly thirty-five years—the young man in the photos used to work for me when he was in college. I jokingly recalled, as I talked to his ex-wife, another good friend, after I spontaneously called her after looking at the pictures. I recall a story about him and her father. It seems my friend was hiding in our stock trailer at a livestock show. Her daddy did not want her to see him, and he was looking for the young fellow. A small side note: they lost a baby years ago, and they now have two boys and a daughter and two grandchildren. I recall her telling me no cause could be found in the autopsy of their first child, and as I talked with my friend’s wife, she offered that in her heart it was meant to be; there was a reason, and she may never know.

I end with remembering those in harm’s way. “In harm’s way” is a big term. Several years back, I spent some time walking through a NICU unit at a hospital. Those babies were all so tiny after seeing my granddaughter healthy and almost ten pounds. I have great respect for NICU nurses and doctors and keep them in my daily thoughts; these are special folks.

“If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” Mother Teresa

“I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?” Mother Teresa

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.” Mother Teresa

Today, make an effort to know your students, your children, your friends, your family, and those you meet. Please keep all in harm’s way on your minds and in your hearts and always give thanks. Namaste.

My family and friends, I do not say this lightly,
Mitakuye Oyasin
(We are all related)
bird

PS: A reminder: “The real difficulty, the difficulty which has baffled the sages of all times, is rather this: how can we make our teaching so potent in the motional life of man, that its influence should withstand the pressure of the elemental psychic forces in the individual?” Albert Einstein