I wrote this during my final days of living in China, over six years ago.

It still rings true today:

I took the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) home today, not the scooter, which meant walking this familiar road and past the pile of bricks pictured above.

Not only is this very "China" with the style of brick, the broom propped, and the fact that it's all in the middle of the sidewalk, but it was also very symbolic.

Because in the coming days, these bricks will build more of these:

Being a teacher can be tough. After years of building and investing, we often never get to see the finished product; we just lay brick after brick, day after day, in hopes that someday, our students will stand tall and strong, much like the building above. 

And at times, that hope can be exhausting because sometimes, it's hard to see beyond the pile of bricks. Sometimes, it seems, all our work and dedication are forgotten, even undone.

We know this isn't true, it just feels like it sometimes. 

But then, just like a bricklayer taking a break, we look up at a building and wonder at its beauty and stand in awe of its power. We find comfort in its shade and rest against its walls. 

In such moments, the diligent bricklayer who stacked brick after brick, day after day, is reminded yet again of the final product and the importance of the task at hand. He knows he will not paint the walls or be the first to turn on the lights, but he also knows that without this brick, and this one, and this one, the building will never be built.

He knows that if he does not do his part, his building will never stand.

Education is no different.

Year after year, we have been given the daunting task of growing and changing students. And although we may never see the completed project, we can be confident and thankful that right now, at this stage in the building process, we have been entrusted with this child, this class. We lay the foundation, build the support, and prepare the way for the next phase of growth. Without your efforts, there is no building! 

And every now and then, when they return to our classrooms or buildings, those students enter as adults, write us letters of encouragement, or reach out on messenger (like an old student of mine from China did this morning - see below), we are reminded that all those hours of laying brick was not only worth it, we would gladly do it all over again! Because we are educators, and we have the greatest - most important - job in the world.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about this week.

#doGREATthings!

Give. Relate. Explore. Analyze. Try.

For more on . . .

Friday Thoughts : Blog

This, an email from a previous student I had in China, which I received today.

Hi Mr. Miller! I hope and pray you and your family is doing well, and that you’ve really found a home in Montana.

I am writing you today to let you know that I am about to go off to my final class of my undergrad degree and as I’ve reflected on my time in college I’ve thought about how I’ve grown and changed over the years. One of the biggest spots of growth over my four years (as attested to by professors and other peers) is my ability to observe stories and song lyrics and pinpoint what they’re ‘actually’ saying. Anyways, as I’ve thought about that I really have just been thinking about how that journey didn’t begin here at OBU but it began when you taught my Freshmen English class. I remember all those classes where I felt like I just wasn’t ever going to be able to look at a piece of literature, a song, or short story and be able to communicate what ‘it was all about.’ Yet, here I am nearly 8 years later as someone who really enjoys trying to discover another author’s perspective on the world. It is enriched my life deeply and just made reading more enjoyable. Truly, I thank you for building that foundation in me back at CDIS. Honestly, I had always thought about you as one who would left me with basketball and an athletic work ethic. Yet at the end of the day that hasn’t really meant a whole yet and what you did for me in the classroom is what I am TRULY going to carry for the rest of my life. Anyways, I felt impressed to share that with you and thank you for all the work you did with me in the classroom, even though it was nearly 8 years ago. I am certain you will keep changing people’s lives that way.

✌️

- Hudson Olmstead