Hypocrite!

There are hypocrites everywhere. The mother riding a bicycle without a helmet, even though she insists that her children must wear their helmets when riding their bikes. The celebrity who cries about how we should help the environment while he often travels in his jet. The teacher who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day preaching to his students about the dangers of smoking. The nutritionist enjoying a large powdery doughnut, even though she rants about how we should never eat sugary processed foods.

Yup, they are out there.

I think most of us are hypocrites. No one is perfect.

I can be a hypocrite.

I always tell my students not to procrastinate or leave things to the last minute, yet I waited until the last minute to file my taxes. I will sometimes bluff my way through conversations I can't follow, even though I tell my deaf and hard of hearing students to never act as if they heard what was said instead of asking for clarification.

The other night, I was very tired. I saw that I had a bag full of clean laundry that needed to be folded and put away. I groaned and told myself that I will do it tomorrow. Suddenly, one of my students' voices popped up in my head and said, "Um, Ms. (e, you once told me that there is no better time than now. You are always telling me not to put things off. Now go and put your clothes away, I don't care if you are tired!" So, feeling guilty, I reluctantly put my clothes away. And you know what? It was not a big deal. It took only ten minutes.

I really should practice more of what I preach.

(e