Midweek Pick Me Up: Take Time to Hear Their Stories

What's going on everybody? I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. My name is Brian Martin. I'm a second grade teacher and hosted the teaching champions podcast. Now, how often do we make assumptions about others? How often have others made assumptions about us, without knowing the whole story? This past weekend, I got to meet up with a friend and a former basketball teammate. And it's always good to get together with friends from long ago, and reminisce on those old times. And there were a few things that separate us back then. He's a foot taller than me. He was a Nike, all American, and ranked in the top 100 in the country. And he was recruited by every major top division one programs out there. And the only recruitment letter I got was from the local YMCA basketball league. And there were a few other things that separate us as well. When he was younger, he made some extremely poor choices. And those choices derailed his dreams. And he's going to be the first one that will own those choices that he made. And as we were sitting there together, reminiscing, he talked, and I listened. Because the man that I was with in that moment, was in a good place. He's a productive member of society, and he's happy. But as he shared his story, it made me think of how he had been judged, and judged harshly how some grown adults in the community turn their back on him, how they made up their mind about who he was, and in some ways, look to push them down. And my friend, he shared stories of his past that I had never heard before. And it made me think, how I was given life on a silver platter, because I had two parents that loved me, who are at every event for me, who are there to support and encourage me, and to teach me right from wrong. And my friend, since it's not my story to share, I'm not going to go into details. But what I can say is if you stopped and you listen to his story, your heart would break in tears would run down your face. And I wonder if others from his past, stopped to listen to his story. If they would pause before they judged him. If others stopped and listened to his story, maybe they would have shown a little more empathy. Maybe they would have shown a little more forgiveness, a little more understanding. Even today, people will say it's a shame that he threw it all away, calling it a waste. But as I sat there, and I listened, and felt the calmness in him from where he's at today, the hearing him talk about how he's happy about how he's a productive member of society. Maybe those who judged him in the past, heard it and truly saw and felted maybe they'd assume a little less, and be happy, a little more for him. And I sat there and I listened to my wise friend who traveled a long road. And he said, I can't live in the past. I'm just going to keep moving forward. Before we make assumptions about our students, before we make assumptions about our colleagues, the parents, others before we judge them before we accuse and put them down. Take time to listen. hear the whole story. It may just change the way you look at Someone today we've been blessed with another sunrise my friends have an awesome day