Today is my last day of summer. I report for the first workday of my 17th year of teaching tomorrow morning. Part of my back-to-school routine is making sure my work bag is packed. Though I've had 5 or 6 bags in my time teaching, I always have one item in particular. I started teaching in August 2000, a month after Allison and I got married. Every day of my teaching career, I've carried this Polaroid picture that I took right after we got married. I carry this picture with me wherever my work bag goes--a welcome reminder of the most important relationship in my life.
This week, I've felt a little reluctant to leave the comfort of my summer--being full-time Dad is pretty sweet--but I've had two encounters in two days with former students that have been welcome reminders that young people are important, and that the importance of my job extends well beyond the curriculum and the classroom. I'm thankful for my teachers, for my students, for my friends, for my family, and for the relationships in my life that have molded me and supported me for my whole life.
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