Hope

I just wrote a piece on my teacher blog and found that it was relevant to share here. So, here it is:

Trail Journeys - teaching blog.... here it is (if you don’t want to click the link):

Summer is melting before my eyes. Tomorrow will begin year 12 of teaching for me. Awaiting my arrival is a new flexible seating plan (stools, rolling chairs, camping chairs, and a rug), enough summer PD to make my brain fill full and almost overwhelmed, and six lists of new names to learn.

Today, I logged into our online grading system and began looking over the lists. I have been checking daily for weeks and this is the day that they became available. I read the names a few times over to myself and found myself wondering what new insights they will bring to my class. As I looked at the names, I was reminded of why I cycle back in each year…with each name, there is hope. There is hope for inspiration. There is the hope that students will become better thinkers and readers. There is the hope that this thinking and reading will spark positive change in their life that also makes a difference in our country and world. As I look at my list of names, I realize that teachers across the country are doing (or will be doing) the exact same thing.

That, my friends, is a magnitude of hope