we are so smooth now, our edges are beaten, drift wood whittled down.

today during my health 100 class, there was a young father trying to manage a fussy baby and pay attention to the lecture at the same time. our regular professor had given the time over to a guest lecturer and was now seated taking notes near the father of the fussy child. the poor father had to get up several times to exit the room for fear that his child would distract his peers. as the father exited the room carrying his child for the third time, our professor left her seat and followed him into the hallway. soon after, the father returned empty handed and sat down in his seat to take notes. nearing the end of the lecture our professor returned and, at the appropriate time, moved to the microphone, thanked the guest lecturer and happily dismissed the class all while carrying the student's now cheerful child.
i could not invent a better example to illustrate an ideal teacher's desire to help a student learn. even to the point of bearing the student's burden momentarily so that he could focus on the material, this teacher taught the most important of concepts - service through sacrifice.