Joseph "Gabe" Sonnier was a full-time janitor at
Port Barre Elementary in Louisiana. One day in 1985, the principal pulled him
aside and said, “I'd rather see you grading papers than picking them up.” Gabe
took those words to heart. At 39, he started hitting the books. He’d arrive at
work at 5:00 a.m., work until 7:00, take classes all day, then go back to the
elementary school to finish his eight hours. Then he’d go home and do homework.
Every. Single. Day. After he got his bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate,
he became a teacher in one of the rooms he used to clean. Then Gabe earned his
master’s degree. In November 2013, Gabe became principal of the same school
where he used to work as janitor. The moral of the story: if you have a dream,
go for it, no matter what obstacles there are. And if you see potential in
someone else, don’t keep it to yourself.
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