Today was Bring Your Child to Work Day. And I always find this to be a rather unique experience. Because for those of us who forget about the fact that class size matters. This is always a strong reminder that there are teachers with 35 or more elementary students in a class. I had eleven students today out of my usually twenty one students, and there was still a huge difference. Not only a difference in atmosphere but a difference in personal expression amongst students. Students who were generally quiet came up to me to tell me a story or two. Students who never ask questions, asked questions. Students who are usually not ones to raise their hands, were so eager to raise their hands that I thought their little fingers may fall off. 

It just goes to show you that sometimes the research we need to do as educators lies in the every day events that occur within our classrooms. Literary analysis isn't needed. Experience is. For these provide us with most insight into the field itself. This experience reminded me a lot of a quote I have been thinking about recently-sent to me by a friend. "Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy." And I think this particular quote provides a whimsy that is so very complex but does in fact reflect smaller numbers. 

Sometimes I think we need to think about life in smaller numbers. Thinking about the road as a whole becomes complicated and over-analyzed and unatural. A larger road has many unpredictable bends and places to fall off and many required stops and forced goals and breaks and the list continues. I think if we think of the road in smaller parts, we come to realize that the road is endless, yes but we are constantly traveling and arriving at new and unforseen places within the larger road. Things aren't necessarily planned and we are not necessarily overly focused on taking that next rest stop because the road is the rest stop. We can rest anytime we want and we are still on our goal. We can take a new path anytime we want and we are still on our goal. Life is one continuous goal with just different scenery along that roadway. I did not set a goal for myself that said something such as, "Experiment with student to see how class size positvely or negatively affects personality amongst timid student." Rather, the day arrived and as I was on my goal of becoming an educator, I arrived at new scenery. Scenery containing only a small patch of trees and a field of grass and maybe some unexpected sunshine delays. 

And tomorrow as I continue to travel, I may find something new along the way such as a lost pet or a new traveler or even a road sign that points me in a new direction I have not yet thought up on my own. For there are journeys within new journeys and new journeys but always important to remember that you do not set goals. You have set a goal. And that goal began the moment you were born when you began to travel your vocation. Your passion. Your road.Embrace those small trees. Let them change and grow inside of you.