Belong

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning

The last school I worked at, I stayed for over 10 years. Why did I stay there so long? One, I am not a fan of change. I prefer things to be stable and unchanging. The other reason I stayed is that I felt like I belonged there. I felt like I played an important part, and people wanted me there. Of course, I stayed. Even after I left, I was still invited to workplace events. That sense of belonging is something I want to focus on next school year. I want those who are under me to feel like they belong there with me, from the students I teach to the adults I lead. I want them to know that they are right where they need to be.

There are places that I travel to where I feel like I belong. Every place in Alaska that we visited last year, I felt like I belonged there. When I looked out at the amazing views and saw the incredible sights, I knew this was where I wanted to be. One place the family and I visited last spring was Helen, Georgia. Before my wife and I got married, we spent a lot of time in this area. The college we went to was only about half an hour from there. While we were there, I felt like we belonged. I wanted my photos to have that classic look, so I used a lens I purchased from Retropia. I love this lens because it is lightweight. This makes it perfect to bring with me while on a walk. I also love that it is made from recycled disposable camera lenses. It looks like a film camera. Using this lens gave my photos that classic look, showing that I belonged here.