Last night I accidentally found a picture of my first class in public school. It was a picture taken after the fifth grade presentation at a P.T.A. meeting. Our kids did a Stomp dance, student choreographed. It was hilarious and beautiful and amazing.

I am thankful for this photo and all the other ones I took that first year. I had forgotten so many of the antics and adventures from that year of teaching. It was one of the only years I took a lot of photographs of my students. This was pre-baby and every student in my class was my baby. My life was my work with those students.

Sadly, I can’t remember all the names of those students, but I remember what matters and I  have been reminded of much more thanks to the picture I found. I wish I had been blogging back in 2003 when I was working with this class. I wish I could remember all the specifics of our days, the growth we made as a class, the growth I made as a teacher, and the lessons we all learned together.

So, for those of you starting out in education and those of you have been around a while…blog, take photos, write about your experiences. Pay attention to the small victories each day. Watch for moments that highlight the reasons you became a teacher. One day you will need those words and pictures. You will need them to help you refocus and recharge.