My mother was a teacher. She was grooming my brother and me to

The actress and trailblazer Laverne Cox once spoke with reverence: “My mother was a teacher. She was grooming my brother and me to be successful, accomplished people.” In this statement shines the timeless truth of parenthood and guidance—that the hands of a devoted mother, like the hands of a sculptor, shape raw stone into a form of beauty and strength. A true teacher does not merely instruct in letters and numbers, but molds the very soul, instilling the discipline, vision, and courage that make greatness possible.

O children of tomorrow, know this: the role of a mother is among the most sacred of callings. For in her care rests the foundation of all future endeavor. When Laverne Cox honors her mother as both nurturer and teacher, she reveals that success is seldom born in isolation. It springs from the soil of love, sacrifice, and unyielding belief. The mother who tends her children with discipline and hope plants within them the seeds of resilience, so that they may withstand the storms of the world and still rise, accomplished and unbroken.

Consider, if you will, the story of Thomas Edison. Though the world now remembers him as a titan of invention, it was his mother, Nancy Edison, who first lit the spark within him. When the boy was dismissed from school as “difficult,” she did not abandon him. She took upon herself the mantle of teacher, cultivating his curiosity, feeding his hunger for knowledge, and shaping his restless energy into vision. Without her devotion, the lightbulb may never have shone, nor the phonograph sung. Such is the hidden power of the mother-teacher—to turn what others call weakness into destiny.

In the words of Laverne Cox, there is also the image of grooming. This is no harsh coercion but a steady shaping, like the pruning of a tree so it may grow straighter and taller. A good teacher and a wise mother knows when to encourage, when to correct, and when to demand more than the child believes they can give. Through such care, children grow not only in knowledge but in spirit, becoming not merely successful in worldly terms, but accomplished in the nobler sense: steadfast, disciplined, and purposeful.

Yet, let us not imagine that this gift comes without sacrifice. A mother who shapes her children must often surrender her own ease, her own dreams, to raise theirs higher. She bears long nights, hard days, and unseen struggles. The world may never sing her name, yet her children’s triumphs are her living legacy. Laverne Cox’s tribute reminds us that every accomplished soul carries upon their shoulders the invisible labor of those who came before, guiding them silently from the shadows.

The lesson, then, is clear: honor those who nurtured you, whether they were mothers, fathers, mentors, or guides. Remember that your path was not walked alone but carved by the hands of others. And if you are blessed to be a teacher or to raise children, take upon yourself this sacred mantle with seriousness and love, for you hold within your grasp the shaping of generations.

Therefore, live not only for your own success, but also as a teacher to others. Mentor the young, encourage the uncertain, lift up those who stumble. In doing so, you carry forward the eternal chain of guidance, the same chain that lifted Laverne Cox, Thomas Edison, and countless others. Be to someone what her mother was to her: a source of vision, strength, and relentless belief.

And so remember: greatness is never born in isolation. It is forged in the furnace of love and discipline, under the watchful eyes of those who believed in us before we believed in ourselves. To acknowledge this truth is to walk humbly, to give thanks, and to continue the sacred work of raising up successful, accomplished people, not for ourselves alone, but for the future of all humankind.