Welcome
to
Shirley's Dixon Line
TEACHERS HAVE THE POWER TO
CHANGE LIVES
For questions or comments e-mail sdixon@vanburen.k12.mo.us

^{I am currently teaching middle school English  and high school study lab.  I am  also the Drug-Free Team Spirit Sponsor.  My students and my family fill my life with happiness, hope, and love.  As you scroll through my page, you will see some of the people who make my life complete.}

The roses are for you!


 

                             When God calls little Angels to dwell with Him above

We mortals sometime question the wisdon of His love.
For no heartache compares with the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world seem wonderful and mild.
Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to his fold.
So He picks a rose bud, before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them, and so He takes a few,
To make the land of Heaven more beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult, still somehow we must try.
The saddest word mankind knows will always be "Goodbye".
So when a little child departs, we who are left behind
must realize God loves children & Angels are hard to find.

Our little Angel went to  live with God when she was five.
She and her mother (our daughter) were killed in a car
accident on December 14, 1995.  A part of us went with them.

You Are Worthy         Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.            It is because we are different that each of us is special.            Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.            Only you know what is best for you.        Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.    Cling to them as you would your life,    for without them, life is meaningless.    Do not let your life slip through your fingers    By living in the past nor for the future.        By living your life one day at a time,    You live all the days of your life.    Do not give up when you still have something to give.    Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.    It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.       Do not be afraid to encounter risks.    It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.    Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.    The quickest way to receive love is to give love;    The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly;          \In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings.    Do not dismiss your dreams.    To be without dreams is to be without hope;    To be without hope is to be without purpose.       Do not run through life so fast that you forget    not only where you have been, but also where you are going.    Life is not a race,    But a journey to be savored each step of the way.    Author: *Unknown*

I Have Learned...

            I've learned-
                    that it takes years to build up trust,
                    and only seconds to destroy it.

            I've learned-
                    that it's not what you have in your life,
                    but who you have in you life that counts.

            I've learned-
                    that you can get by on charm
                    for about fifteen minutes.
                    After that, you'd better know something.

            I've learned-
                    that you shouldn't compare
                    yourself to the best that others can do,
                    but to the best that you can do.

            I've learned-
                    that it's not what happens to people
                    that's important.  It's what they do about it.

            I've learned-
                    that you can do something in an instant
                    that will give you heartache for life.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter how thin you slice it,
                    there are always two sides.

            I've learned-
                    that it's taking me a long time
                    to become the person I want to be.

            I've learned-
                    that it's a lot easier
                    to react than it is to think.

            I've learned-
                    that you should always leave
                    loved ones with loving words/
                    It may be the last time you see them.

            I've learned-
                    that you can keep going
                    long after you think you can't.

            I've learned-
                    that we are responsible for what we do,
                    no matter how we feel.

            I've learned-
                    that either you control you attitude
                    or it controls you.

            I've learned-
                    that regardless of how hot and steamy
                    a relationship is at first,
                    the passion fades and there had better be
                    something else to take its place.

            I've learned-
                    that heroes are the people
                    who do what has to be done
                    when it needs to be done,
                    regardless of the consequences.

            I've learned-
                    that learning to forgive takes practice.

            I've learned-
                    that there are people who love you dearly,
                    but just don't know how to show it.

            I've learned-
                    that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

            I've learned-
                    that my best friend and I can do anything
                    or nothing and have the best time.

            I've learned-
                    that sometimes the people you expect
                    to kick you when you're down
                    will be the ones to help you get back up.

            I've learned-
                    that sometimes when I'm angry
                    I have the right to be angry,
                    but that doesn't give me
                    the right to be cruel.

            I've learned-
                    that true friendship continues to grow,
                    even over the longest distance.
                    The same goes for true love.

            I've learned-
                    that just because someone doesn't love you
                    the way you want them to doesn't mean
                    they don't love you with all they have.

            I've learned-
                    that maturity has more to do with
                    what types of experiences you've had
                    and what you've learned from them
                    and less to do with how many
                    birthdays you've celebrated.

            I've learned-
                    that you should never tella child
                    their dreams are unlikely or ourlandish.
                    Few things are more humiliating, and
                    what a tragedy it would be
                    if they believed it.

            I've learned-
                    that your family won't always
                    be there for you.  It may seem funny,
                    but people you aren't related to
                    can take care of you and love you
                    and teach you to trust people again.
                    Families aren't biological.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter how good a friend is,
                    they're going to hurt you
                    every once in a while,
                    and you must forgive them for that.

            I've learned-
                    that it isn't always enough
                    to be forgiven by others.
                    Sometimes you have to learn
                    to forgive yourself.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter how bad
                    your heart is broken
                    the world doesn't stop for your grief.

            I've learned-
                    that our background and circumstances
                    may have influenced who we are, but
                    we are responsible for who we become.

            I've learned-
                    that sometimes when my friends fight,
                    I'm forced to choose sides, even
                    when I don't want to.

            I've learned-
                    that just because two people argue,
                    it doesn't mean they don't love each other.
                    And just because they don't argue,
                    it doesn't mean they do.

            I've learned-
                    that sometimes you have to put
                    the individual ahead of their actions.

            I've learned-
                    that we don't have to change friends
                    if we don't understand that friends change.

            I've learned-
                    that you shouldn't be so
                    eager to find out a secret.
                    It could change your life forever.

            I've learned-
                    that two people can look
                    at the exact same thing
                    and see something totally different.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter how you try to protect
                    your children, they will eventually get hurt,
                    and you will hurt in the process.

            I've learned-
                    that there are many ways of falling
                    and staying in love.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter the consequences,
                    those who are honest with themselves
                     get farther in life.

            I've learned-
                    that no matter how many friends you have,
                    if you are their pillar you will feel lonely
                    and lost at the times you need them  most.

            I've learned-
                    that your life can be changed
                    in a matter of hours
                    by people who don't even know you.

            I've learned-
                    that even when you think
                    you have no more to give,
                    when a friend cries out to you,
                    you will find the strength to help.

            I've learned-
                    that writing, as well as talking,
                    can ease emotional pains.

            I've learned-
                    that the paradigm we live in
                    is not all that is offered to us.

            I've learned-
                    that credentials on the wall
                    do not make you a decent human being.

            I've learned-
                    that the people you care most about in life
                    are taken from you too soon.

            I've learned-
                    that although the word "love"
                    can have many different meanings,
                    it loses value when overly used.

            I've learned-
                    that it's hard to determine
                    where to draw the line
                    between being nice and
                    not hurting people's feelings,
                    and standing up for what you believe in.

                                                    Author Unknown
 

 
 

A Teacher's Prayer
Dear Lord, give wisdon and patience to do what has to be done everyday.  Lead me in the right direction in teaching the things that children must know to live a good life.  Show me the way to inspire them to want to know more.  Help me to teach them that life is short, and we must make the most of what time we have.  I give you the thanks, O Lord, for everyday that I'm given.  With your help, Dear God, I know that I can make a difference in my students lives.
Amen.