One of my favorite things to do when I wake up is to check my Timehop app. It’s probably  not the most “disconnected” way to start the day. I literally roll over when the alarm goes off, grab my phone, check my e-mail, and then open up Timehop to see what I was doing 1 year ago, 2 years ago, 8 years ago.

There’s just some comfort in remembering some of my special moments. Moments worth documenting. Which is why I began to blog in the first place.

Sometimes those moments ground me. Sometimes they remind me why I’ve chosen to dedicate my life to this career.

This morning, I opened up my Timehop app and was brought back to a post I had written last year on the Rocketship blog about how my kids are my motivation.

 

That was very much needed.

This kid right here. My motivation. Among many others.

But this particular kid has taught me what it means to work hard each day. How to have patience when I really want to pull out my hair. How to be persistent when everything inside of me is telling me to give up.

  

He’s taught me more than any grad school class could ever teach me. Together, we’ve had more valuable experiences than any student teaching gig can offer.

He is my teacher.

And I was his.

And that little reminder this morning is helpful. I’m here for the kids. My kids. And, though there are some things that make me want to run away (the stupid copy machine being one of them), my kids keep me going every day.