I often think about boxes. Three, specifically. The one I used to bring my few teaching possessions to my first ever classroom, and the second I used to clean out my last classroom - when my teaching career ended. I still have one more last day ahead, and I think about what will fill that box a lot. I hope it won't be for many years to come, but I know it will come sooner than expected.

I know some of you are experiencing this now. Within the next couple of months or years, you will pack your final box. What memories will you take? What trinkets will you throw away?

What will you remember most?

Sometimes, I think about these boxes. Other times, I don't. I get lost in the day-to-day. I get frustrated by decisions made beyond my control, distracted by unkind words or deeds, or sometimes, I'm simply clouded.

Thinking of my first boxes and the hopes and dreams I carried into my first school helps. The joy of walking into my first classroom, rearranging the empty seats, and wanting so badly to be a good teacher. To make a difference.

Lately, I've been considering my first and last box. Will my actions and plans today help the ignorant hopes I packed manifest into notes from students, memories with colleagues, and trinkets worth taking?

In the midst of the years, it's easy to forget about the boxes. Recently, I've been trying hard not to. Why did I pack the first, and what will fill the last?