For some teachers, it's just a nine till (not even) five. For others, helping students achieve their goals and reach their potential remains a true labour of love. A vocation, not simply a pay check.
One such teacher is Tommy Guy, who like Professor Engelberg before him, shot to internet fame after a photo of the Springfield, Massachusetts teacher went viral.
All Kimmy Lopez wanted was to get her high school diploma. But life stood in her way, and going back to school seem like an impossible feat. She was determined to graduate, yet she was living in a shelter. She had a 10-month-old son and like many young single parents, couldn't afford day care.
Incredibly, when she told the school of her obstacles, instead of sending her away, admins welcomed her and her child with open arms.
Lopez claimed that one teacher in particular went above and beyond the usual call of duty - even babysitting the infant - so she could study.
Teachers are the real MVP. To the left a photo, that has gone viral, of a professor holding a students child because he...
Posted by Kimmy Lopez on Monday, November 2, 2015
"I had no daycare for my son," wrote Lopez in her Facebook post. "I thought it would stop me from finishing school but once I told the administrators my issue they told me to bring him to school with me. They set up a play pen in their office, brought toys and snacks for my baby, he even took my son to run errands with him, all so that I could come to school every day, study peacefully and focus on my books so that I graduate with my class."
Guy's reputation precedes him. Around Central High School he's known for his dedication, often seeking out kids who've dropped out and encouraging them to come back to school.
She called her teacher "the real MVP," yet for his part he downplayed his role in Lopez's success, saying "she was a very focused student" and caring for her son was a "piece of cake."
We often assume that some young people are simply too lazy to learn. But the reality is that many kids face genuine obstacles that get in the way of learning.
Lopez is now in culinary school in Atlanta, Georgia.
If only teachers like Guy weren't the exception, but the rule. Sadly - and not to put too fine a point on it - in many cases the purse strings come before the kids. If only all schools went the extra mile to accommodate learners.
Kate Winslet may play Apple marketing exec Joanna Hoffman in the new Steve Jobs movie, but as a boss in her own household, she is happy to pull the plug on tech when it comes to her three kids.
"They go into a world and parents let them do it," she said in a recent interview with the Sunday Times. The solution, she says, is simple: "Take the device out of their hand."
Call her old-fashioned, but the British actress has a hankering for board games.
"Don't let them sleep with [tech]," she advised. "Play Monopoly. These things are not rocket science. Do drawing games. If we go to the pub we always take paper and pen."
Homework comes first, then my son gets tablet or TV while I cook. We play at least one family game every night after dinner. We are fairly rigid about this ritual because I've realized it's a slippery slope. We have so little time to connect during the week, it has to be about quality.
Yet it's the effect of social media on our daughters that is of particular concern to Winslet. All those girls driven to post images of their hair or whatever in order to warrant a 'like' from their peers...
That desire to be admired for their appearance - a la Kardashian - Winslet says, will have a "huge impact on young women's self-esteem because all they will ever do is design themselves for people to like them. And what comes along with that? Eating disorders."
I'd go one further. Depression. Anxiety. All kinds of mental health concerns stem from the selfie addiction. Selfies should be fun; they should be silly. They shouldn't exist merely to elicit validation.
There's a time and a place for social media and tech in general. But interestingly, this article claims the reason parents aren't patrolling their kids online is because we ourselves are at the mercy of the very thing we want to control.
How many of us tell our kids in one breath to put the tablet away while firing off a "quick text" or while scanning for Facebook and Instagram updates?
If we expect our kids to lay down the tech and be present, then we must lead by example and do so first.
We can't thrust the iPad in their hands to buy ourselves a break, then complain because they spend so much time glued to a screen.
We can't have it both ways. We just can't.
Image Source: WikiCommons
Good neonatal news! A new medical device invented in Calgary will help babies born prematurely by allowing them to stay connected to the umbilical cord for longer.
Known as 'INSPIRE' (Integrated Neonatal Support with Placental Transfusion and Resuscitation), the portable device features blood oxygen monitors, oxygen tanks, resuscitation devices and a scale. It allows the baby to remain next to the mother longer than usual.
Studies have shown that delaying clamping by as little as 1-3 minutes leads to a reduction in the risk of bleeding in the baby's brain. It also affords more time for stem cells and nutrients like iron to be transferred from the placenta to the baby.
Until now, delaying clamping just wasn't an option for pre-term babies who needed immediate medical attention. With INSPIRE, babies can safely stay connected while getting vital medical attention.
In the neonatal world, INSPIRE could well be a game-changer.
Giving birth pre-term is a stressful and terrifying experience. Aside from the medical benefits, being able to stay with their baby for longer would certainly mean a world of difference for many parents.
“The process of delayed cord clamping allows babies to receive blood from their placentas at the time of birth," said medical director at of neonatology at Foothills, which developed INSPIRE, Dr. Sumesh Thomas.
"In clinical practice, babies that are the most vulnerable because they had to be delivered early are the one most unlikely to receive delayed cord clamping."
Since the pilot, the device has only been used half a dozen times, with positive outcomes.
Hopefully larger studies will follow, in time making this device widely available across the country and beyond.
RELATED: I Wish My Child's Teacher Knew 
Printer-friendly version