歪歪漫画

Our dog, Simon, is getting up there in years.

He is about 14 years old, which is old for a golden retriever. He has difficulty walking 鈥� his right back hip seems to be out of joint, and then there is arthritis. We humans have similar aches and pains.

Simon has great difficulty climbing stairs. He will wait at the bottom of our stairs and bark, signaling, "I need some encouragement."

I will come to the stairs and say things like, "You can do it, Simon. You can do it. I鈥檓 right here. I鈥檒l give you a little push."

After some encouragement, Simon slowly climbs the stairs. He may look back and seem to say, "I need a little more."

Eventually, he will make it. A while ago, I wrote a book titled "It鈥檚 all about relationships."

I don鈥檛 think President Reagan was talking about artificial intelligence, bigger businesses, more tanks and ships, or more billionaires when he was thinking about a "shining city upon a hill. "

That phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. I think Reagan was talking about just getting along with our neighbors and imagining an America that was founded on getting along with others.

Isn鈥檛 it all about how you and I relate to one another? Isn鈥檛 that the overriding solution we should be looking for? Isn鈥檛 just giving a little encouragement a huge part of relationships?

We all have received encouragement along our pathways through life, and we can most likely identify when, where, and by whom. No doubt that little bit of encouragement helped us choose the right path.

If I had to name someone "Mr. Encouragement," I would give that name to Larry Erie and his wife, Gladys, the founders of Camp Dellwater. Many of you remember Larry and Gladys, who both passed away a number of years ago.

Another person who always has encouraging words for me is Dr. Ted Will.

There was never, and I mean never, a time when I didn鈥檛 meet them that they didn鈥檛 have some encouraging words to say. They gave encouragement with sincerity and gusto. I knew it came from their heart.

Courage comes from the Latin root "cor," which means from the heart. The Spanish word for heart is "corazon," also coming from the Latin root "cor."

When we encourage someone, we place confidence and spirit in their heart. Isn鈥檛 that interesting? It is believed that self-confidence is not taught but caught.

As I ponder my last years of teaching, I would like to say that I was instrumental in changing this school and that school, but I am not sure if that is all that important anymore.

I place great weight on the words 鈥渋n loco parentis,鈥� which means in place of parents. It鈥檚 important for teachers to teach students as if they were their own children 鈥� as if they were their parents.

I am more concerned about my individual students and how I can give each one the encouragement they need to find happiness and fulfillment in life. I need to touch their hearts because that鈥檚 where their confidence will grow, and with that confidence, they can touch the hearts of others.

Churches are all about touching the hearts of others. I had the privilege of attending the First Baptist Church in Bemidji last Sunday. I especially appreciated the comfortable chairs (little things mean a lot).

Pastor Stan and others warmly greeted me. I was happy to connect with a fellow Red Lake teacher, Kenny, who invited me to bowl with the men from his church.

Pastor Stan鈥檚 sermon was a wonderful combination of teaching, lecturing, and engaging the people. It was easy to see why First Baptist is a church built upon relationships.

Riddle: What does this word puzzle represent SURCARANCE? (Answer: Car insurance.) You can鈥檛 be without it; we can鈥檛 survive without a daily dose of encouragement.

I'd like to thank TrekNorth for hosting the charter school forum this past week.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.