middle level coordinator slash mom

i haven't written a correspondence tuesday for my mom. i haven't forgotten about her, but the truth is, the way i feel about my mother is so hard to put into words that the thought of sitting down and writing about it is overwhelming.
mom and i are different but we definitely have our similarities. upon meeting her, many people will call me and say, "i met your mom the other day...now i understand you." what they don't know is that i wish i was half the person my mom is.
while i want to change the world and am willing to travel to far away places to do so, my mom wants to change the world by changing the people she sees right in front of her. and she doesn't do so by force, or by manipulation, or by coercion. she simply holds up a mirror so maybe you'll happen to catch a glimpse of the person she sees - and she always sees the best.

linda gilbert, an associate professor at MTSU (my alma mater) wrote an article about my mother and her friend/co-worker Elizabeth Church for today's Daily New Journal (my hometown newspaper).

having lived with my mom for twenty-something years, i can tell you this:
every word is true.
she is not a different person at home than she was in the classroom, and she is not a different person now that she works more with teachers than with students.

in the article, linda referrs to great teachers when she says, "...they began our dreams. Believed in us. Tugged, pushed, and led us to the next plateau of our lives..."

luckily, the same can be said about my mother, who happens to also be a great teacher --
she began my dreams.
she believed in me.
she tugged, pushed, and led me to the next plateau of my life.