I am a recovering fixer. I still want to wave my magic wand and make everything and everyone ok. Over the years, though, I’ve learned a few things –

Who am I to critique anything and deem it wrong and that I have the knowledge and ability to fix it?

Natural consequences do more to help fix things than anything I ever could.

So in my teaching career this has been tough, especially with teens couch surfing, vaping, treating each other in demeaning and dehumanizing ways, and raising themselves to adulthood with no or few or checked out adults in their home lives.

I read a thing today that reminded me of my core calling – compassion and witness. I can teach math and I can share and demonstrate compassion while I witness the many miracles of transformation that happen everyday. I am not a counselor nor a chaplain in my classroom – although the opportunities to slip into those roles are many. I am there to teach math with compassion and stand with students as they succeed.

So today – I give up fixing. And I’ll have to tomorrow too – but just for today, I give it up.