I Might Burn on the Stake

My first year of teaching my principal called me Joan of Arc. I asked him why?  He said because you are always on a mission to do the right thing but you will probably burn at the stake some day. I took that as a compliment. One of my favorite Jr. High teachers wrote in my yearbook "To the defender and cheerleader of the underdog."  Guess what?  I also took that as a compliment.  So, during my career and even now 30 years later, I'm still the defender and cheerleader of the under dogs. You know who I'm talking about, the kids with the wrong addresses, parents in the wrong professions, houses and bank accounts not large enough.  Some of them may have physical, emotional or academic disabilities. Some where along the line, at a young age, I felt it was my job to take up for kids that no one else cares about. As I have said before, it always shocks me that people who claim to be religious or Christians can play favorites and discriminate, but I sadly see it everyday. They will claim to love and care about kids but what they really should say is I love and care about my kids and kids that I deem worthy. I have a feeling that many of them wouldn't have deemed me worthy when I was little because I was from a working class family in the little town of Rowlesburg. I see people that don't even bother to learn kids names or anything about them unless they meet their preconceived standards. Honestly, Abraham Lincoln, raised in a log cabin, wouldn't have made their cut. They judge kids on their clothes, hair, parent's salaries, their address and homes. It is really very sad. After 30 years, I just don't get how you can say one kid is better than another kid.  They haven't even had time to prove themselves, yet. I have lived long enough to see so called "elite" kids end up in the gutter and so called "throw away"kids become highly educated, successful, contributing members of society. Anyway, who are we to judge? Honestly, there are times I'm at our beach house that I look like a bum, well a beach bum, but a bum. Funny, I am secure enough that I don't care what other people think. Kids are a different story. Most kids aren't tough and weathered, yet.  They know when they are being screwed over, ignored, feed the scrapes, treated differently, and guess what?  IT HURTS!!!  People think I'm too blunt at times. When you are playing favorites, discriminate, play your little "me and my kids are better than you" game, kids know it, people are watching, and I'm going to be blunt.  God is watching and if I were God, I really don't think you will feel very comfortable in heaven with us poor, disabled, "not as good as you" bums. Jesus really didn't get along with the rich and powerful pharaohs. He mingled among the poor, handicapped and broken hearted. I might burn on the stake but I don't think I'll be burning in hell with some people.