Long before blogs existed, my dad taught me the importance of writing.  He religiously kept a journal, and I sure noticed how he wrote in it daily.  I fondly remember my dad sitting in his overstuffed Lazy Boy Recliner, leisurely recording the day’s events in a leather bound book.  I would often read his entries over and over again and find myself smiling when I saw my name sitting neatly on the line of his page.  When I was eight or nine years old, I asked him why he kept a journal.  He said, “Writing our memories down ensures we will always remember them.”  He went on comparing his journals to a treasure chest of memories, carefully pulling one out when we needed.

Not surprisingly, when I started my teaching career, my dad suggested I keep a journal.  Of course I followed his advice, but after the first full week of teaching this notion of recording my thoughts was quickly dropped.  Heck, I couldn’t find the time to go to the bathroom let alone write down the day’s events!

Now with more teaching experience and perspective, I’ll be doing the modern-day version of a journal, which is this blog.  Thanks Dad, for inspiring this part of my JOurneY!  If only I had kept a journal when I first started I would be able to vividly tell the time when my third grader asked me if I had ever seen her dad’s toe nails. Story to be continued….