Elspeth Campbell Murphy

In Praise of Learning

For reading;
that peculiar marks on a page are so able to inform us, to entertain us,
and to move us to laughter and tears,
we thank you, Father.

For handwriting, grammar, and spelling;
which as tools enable us to capture our thoughts
and communicate them clearly to others,
we thank you, Father.

For mathematics;
with its dependable patterns and principles,
which reassure us that the world is not so inconstant as we might fear,
we thank you, Father.

For science;
which challenges us to explore our universe
and reveals the world to be all the more wonderful
the more we understand it,
we thank you, Father.

For social studies;
which teaches us to know ourselves
and to know one another,
we thank you, Father.

For art;
with its absorbing, unexcelled joy
of making,
seeing, and appreciating the beautiful,
we thank you, Father.

For music;
with its mystical power to reach us
and unite us
as nothing else can,
we thank you, Father.

For physical education;
which teaches us to understand our bodies,
and gain satisfaction inherent in strength and skill,
we thank you, Father.

Father,
for all truth
and for hearts and minds to know the truth,
we thank you.

More than 600,000 teachers have found encouragement, affirmation, and inspiration in Elspeth Campbell Murphy's Chalkdust and Recess.

Now these two cherished books are combined into one beautiful volume with ninety timeless prayers and meditations. The prayers eloquently address experiences universal to teachers: worries about students, jitters about special events, struggles with parents or school boards, and much more. With a fresh design and clear organization, this new edition of Chalkdust will renew any teacher's hopes and dreams and help that teacher express his or her heart to God about every student and situation.

From a teacher's review on BarnesandNoble.com: ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES!!
What can you say about a book you return to time and again, except that it touches you very deeply. At different times and in different ways.