A Random Act of Kindness

I don't often speak well of my colleagues, because, well, I don't respect many of them. I think many of them have crappy attitudes and are so past burnt out that they are crispy around the edges.

However, that being said, I have to hand it to one of them, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Many things were lost this year when we moved from our school to our temporary site - our school building is being renovated this year - including our basketball teams' uniforms. It was going to cost $600 to replace them.

Now, in previous years, this would not have been a big deal. I spent almost that in last year's Awards Ceremony alone. This year, however, our enrollement is down so far that our budget is, frankly, miniscule. Administrators were scrambling to find some money, so they told us at a department meeting.

One of the teachers heard and wrote a check for $600 for the uniforms. A personal check. A gift.

This person is not rich. This person has children at home, and a spouse without a high-paying job. However, this person gave far beyond what anyone else would dream of doing. This teacher's generosity staggers me. I felt compelled to share this moment, just to give the same feeling to others that I have right now: hope.

As cheesy as it sounds, something this genuinely nice serves, to me, as an affirmation that mankind is not universally selfish. There are people that care more about the larger picture than about themselves. My hat is off to this colleague for the rest of my life.