This little jar holds 36 pompoms. Thirty-six pompoms for 36 weeks of school. For us teachers, that means 36 weeks to create meaningful moments that matter. What do you want your moments to be full of? Now’s the time to remind yourself about why you do what you do. Why did you want to do this job when you first began? What is your why?

For myself and my students, I strive to create moments full of joy, love, and growth. I want my students to find joy in learning, joy in making connections with others, joy in the small moments that make up all of our days. I want my students to find a love of reading, a love of challenging themselves, and a sense of love for the world and people around them. I want my students to strive for their own growth and celebrate even their smallest moments of success. And for myself, I want all of the same.

As my administrators presented this little jar idea on our first day back together as a staff this year, they reminded us that not all of our moments will be huge. Some of our moments will be medium-sized, some smaller, and some may be so small that they may not even be noticed if you’re not looking for it with intent. That’s okay! This jar is filled with all sizes of pompoms, and I plan on finding gratitude for ALL of the moments of joy, love, and growth in my classroom this year.

And now, a call to action. If you’re reading this, I encourage you to stop and think. What is your why? What do you want your moments to be full of for yourself and your students this year? What matters most to you in your classroom? I’d love to know your answers! For me, writing them down made them more meaningful. If you’re willing to share, please add a comment to this post to share your why and the moments you’ll be celebrating this year. Or, go to this post on my Instagram account @teachingandlearningwithjg and leave a comment there.