to become a teacher I was sitting in the
back of mr. Walsh’s eighth grade history
classroom and I was your typical ain’t
grade student in transition I was short
I had braces
I had huge feet a squeaky voice and no
sense of what I wanted to do when I grew
up and it was on that particular day
that I decided that teaching was my
career path mr. walsh was delivering a
life lesson that typically was something
about how to change a tire or how to tie
a tie or how to make a breakfast
sandwich but on this particular day mr.
walsh was talking about our passions he
had a quote on the board that said do
what you love and love what you do and
he proceeded to tell us about why he
became a teacher and why his passion was
for history and teaching kids and that
day I decided that teaching was my
career path I wanted to be mr. Walsch so
fast forward a few years later and I was
in my first year of teaching and I
quickly became overwhelmed I think like
a lot of first-year teachers and my
being overwhelmed turned to being burnt
out pretty quickly I was burnt out on
content and responsibilities of
management and instruction I was
consumed by all of the nitty gritty
details of what it took to be a teacher
and I was sitting discouraged in my
classroom one time and I had a
influential mentor come and sit in my
room with me and give me some advice
that changed my philosophy and the way I
taught this particular influential
mentor encouraged me to pursue
redemption or to look for Ellen
so we’re ditched in everything that I
did in my content in my instruction in
my relationships with kids now I would
certainly consider myself a lifelong
work in progress so by no means in my
perfect but I think if we consider this
for a second
a redemptive mindset healing the world
correcting errors ridding the world of
evil healing others for a second that
all of us can apply this to our lives
whether you’re sitting in this room and
you are searching for a calling or a
passion of yours or whether you are
currently down a career path or pursuing
a passion you can be refocused with a
redemptive mindset I believe this starts
with considering two essential questions
what breaks your heart
and what makes you wonder first what
makes you wonder I’m sorry what breaks
your heart what is it that stops you in
your tracks is it the man on the street
that you know needs three square meals
and a place to stay is it something in
your friend’s home life that you know
needs redeeming or a story what is it
that breaks your heart am i teaching my
heart breaks for kids I think as
educators or our hearts break for our
students we look to in turn the avenues
of your lives so that we can hopefully
be a part of them and sharing the
excitement of the things
you do and the things that you pursue
and your passions I wouldn’t want to use
for a second one of my most one of my
most favorites historical figures as an
example of a man with a redemptive
mindset Abraham Lincoln became the
president at the beginning of the Civil
War on the eve of the Civil War Lincoln
was a man with a redemptive mindset and
we can see this by analyzing his
speeches and looking at reports or
descriptions of his actions in the tough
moments of the Civil War our country was
divided more than any time in American
history and through Lincoln’s broken
heart over division he was able to carry
us through the most difficult time or
one of the most difficult times of
American history
Lincoln encouraged us to begin thinking
anew and acting in him that new thinking
for actions is a redemptive mindset is
pursuing the redemption second what
makes you wonder what is it that you
want to pursue what consumes your
thoughts what is it that you sit in
class day-to-day thinking about wishing
that you could change or invent or
create or design pursue what makes you
wonder and you’ll enter a world the
redemptive mindset where you can change
people others and serve others and
create things for others that changes
them for the positive good am i teaching
I think that and I think a lot of
teachers this are this way you know we
are in a lifelong pursuit of what
learning looks like for you guys we care
deeply about your lives in a
what we teach you on a day-to-day basis
and what you pursue your passions your
calling and connecting with you and
sharing in the joys that come with
watching me grow I really like food so I
have to use an example it from the
fast-food industry
chick-fil-a a lot a lot of you guys
didn’t know I liked chick-fil-a
but s true and Cathy the founder of
chick-fil-a had a mindset that was
redemptive it was different from a lot
of fast food learners because that’s
true Kathy who was a philanthropist and
a man with the desire to positively
impact the lives of young people
soft fast food as more than just a
day-to-day quick service estra Kathy saw
it as a neighborhood experience that
positively impacted local communities
that gave in the community that trained
its employees to love others one my
pleasure at a time and one chicken
sandwich at a time unless you’re me and
this may be one or two or three jiffy
changes anything what breaks your heart
and what makes you wonder can lead you
to a world where you develop a
redemptive mindset any conclusion I want
to encourage you today your brains are
already wired for redemption for
positive change and developing a
redemptive mindset can lead you on the
pathway to discover and your calling
one sorry these two essential questions
finding what breaks your heart
and what makes you wonder can lead you
to do positive good for others and can
help you to impact the world one student
at a time
one nation at a time or one or two or three chicken sandwiches