February 12, 2018, Colorado, USA
Champions martial arts, champions in the truest sense of the word, under the leadership and guidance of Todd Bradley.
I come from a long line of teachers and I cannot think of a more honorable profession. They say teachers change peoples lives, one at a time. But really teachers do more than that.
Sometimes teachers impact others more than they realize. Sometimes a teacher changes one life that impacts many. Perhaps the kid whose life you changed for the better will one day find a cure for cancer. Perhaps the troubled adult that waked into your school is also a father, a son, a brother. When you help turn his life around you have impacted all those around him.
You have given his child a father, you have given his mother a son. You have have a positive impact upon several generations. Perhaps someday his grandson will be a leader, a motivator; you will have had a role in this.
The rewards of your teaching cannot be measured in a single lifetime.
The kind word of encouragement you offered to a struggling student, the opportunity you gave to an older man who lost his confidence, the warm welcome you gave to a young woman, hesitant to walk in the door. To you it may have seemed like nothing, common courtesy but you have impacted several lives. You may have saved a mother son relationship, a husband wife relationship, you may have given one the confidence to face a challenging work situation.
The rewards of teaching are beyond measure, even in several lifetimes.