I just saw a hashtag, #whyiwrite, to honor this National Day of Writing. My head whirled with my own reasons for writing. As I set out to write, I had this intense feeling of deja vu. I searched my blog posts and reread my post from last year. Well, there goes that post, I thought to myself. I’d basically be rewriting the same thing. Once again, I’m reflecting following another Teacher’s College Saturday Reunion, wondering where all the passion has gone? How can we spark a light under the education profession and in turn a light in the students we teach? These reunion days always leaving me wanting more of this learning light.

I write because I love to learn. I can get lost in blogs, professional texts, research, and stories about how the brain works, methods of instruction, the latest trends, and anecdotes about great aha moments in classrooms. I could stand in our schools hallways forever and listen to the stories of my colleagues, the melody of learning drifting into the halls. This learning gives me energy and makes me excited to try new things and look at my work in new ways.

I write because I know I’ll never have it all figured out. Every day I’m working with kids, I’m learning something new. Every student I encounter causes me to reflect and draw on all that I’ve ever learned. What combination or strategies might be right for this child? What more do I need to learn to reach them?

I write because I believe my work as a teacher matters. Yesterday, sitting in Riverside Church, surrounded by other educators, Peter Reynolds shared a story about a moment in seventh grade when his math teacher saw his obsessive doodling as more than a problem. “He noticed me,” Peter repeated this line twice in such a way that I believe his words will echo in my mind every single day from now on.

We have no idea the impact our words may have on kids…or those we don’t say. But for the chance that I may be a part of being a part of making kids feel like they are seen, that they matter… I’ll keep showing up.

I write to capture the joy I witness on a daily basis, the joys that keep me coming back for more. The days I lose sight of this, I only need to reread to remember and brought back to what matters.

I write to learn. To explore my ideas, reflect upon experiences, and to communicate with others. Writing lifts a weight from my shoulders and calms the constant activity in my brain. Writing connects me with others and fills me up when I’m feeling low.

I write to keep my own light burning.