Sara VanDerWerf recently asked the following question on Twitter: What small thing do you do in your classroom that makes a big difference?

The comments are both enlightening and encouraging. After many years of teaching, I still feel that I need to apologize for taking minutes (sometimes an entire period) away from content to simply engage, laugh, and build relationships. To be certain, there are times when both can be done together but I've also learned to read my students and know when they are simply exhausted, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

Below I've included some photos from my classes over the years. These images express the joy and childlike nature still found in both middle school and upper school students and they remind me that more than students, these little humans in my class are children with aspirations, disappointments, and challenges in need of love, hope, and joy.