If you are running any nonprofit or children’s program, it is imperative you run background checks on everyone.
I have heard too many stories where children were abused because everyone assumed a volunteer was trustworthy. When it comes to a child’s safety, never assume!
Cartoon of two adults and baby with a scarecrow. A man says about the scarecrow, “He doesn’t interact with the kids much. But he’s always available and on time.”
I can usually tell when someone doesn’t feel comfortable in a classroom. They don’t look much different from the scarecrow in my cartoon. They’re stiff, standing tall among all the kids. They do dress better than a scarecrow, however. They also have a more worried look than the scarecrow in this picture.
Cartoon of a man and vampire. A man says, “Wow, Michael! Congress really changed you!”
According to a quick Internet search, Lord Acton was the one who originally said, “Power Corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
No matter who you are, the temptation is there to become a little vampire whenever you gain a little power. The more you get, the more the fangs start protruding and you begin fearing the light. Hey! no one is righteous, not even one.
On this Halloween night, be careful out there! Because the politicians will get you if you don’t watch out!
Cartoon of two women and a scarecrow. One woman says, “We met at a gardening convention.”
Cartoon of a happy teacher and student. The teacher says, “This is a great story. You should copyright it.”
It breaks my heart when I hear about an author who almost didn’t take up his craft because an English teacher once told her that she was a terrible writer. But it is inspiring to hear of those who heard that discouragement, yet overcame it and are authors today.
It is a shame when discouragement comes out of our mouths. I am as guilty as anyone else of spewing criticism to others. Unfortunately, it is too easy to do that in this world.
But a complement goes a long way. My fourth grade teacher encouraged me to consider drawing when complemented my part in a poster. I didn’t think of myself as an artist until that moment.
Be sure to give a sincere complement to a child when you have a chance. You never know how it will change his life.
