“One faces the future with one’s past.” – Pearl S. Buck
The past can be a great source of information or something that holds us back. The past can show us what we are moving forward from, and at the same time it can keep us still. I see the past as something that helps in education, and hurts at the same time. Some of the best leaders I have worked under used the past to show them the best way to lead in order to improve student outcomes. They leaned on their experience, knowing how students learned best and what things teachers needed to do to help them. Then there is the opposite. Some use the past as the only way to do things successfully. They use the past not as a guide, but as a step-by-step method of success. The problem with that is that students have changed. There is a difference between a student in 2019 and a student in 2026. The past can hold us back if we let it by keeping us stuck in one particular place.
When visiting somewhere for the second time, the past can be helpful. It reminds us where the best places are to go and where the best spots are to take photos. Last spring, my family and I visited Tallulah Gorge in Northeast Georgia. There are a few great places to see the gorge from around it. There is a picnic area near the power plant across from there. Then there is this observation deck that is located nearby at a general store. When my wife and I visited here while we were in college, we would grab a Coca-Cola in a glass bottle and then sit and drink on the observation deck. Then the best views are at the state park. The path there takes you right up to Hurricane Falls. You can get closer to the falls by taking a trail with over 300 steps. Experience reminded me that getting down the steps wasn’t bad, but it was getting back up that was the problem. Here are some shots I captured at all three of these locations.
Through Griffin's Lens 