Being a teacher means going through a personal evolution of a sorts. The process is an ongoing reflection of what works, what doesn't work, and the continual realization that it is, indeed, a never-ending process. Where that may give a beginning teacher a sense of disillusionment, and maybe even despair, it's also one of the greater motivators after one teaches for a number of years. As well, within this motivation is also a recognition, the understanding of how change can make your role improve, but how intrinsic abilities can also be defined and strengthened. I believe that I have been given a love for students and a strong faith in them and in their ability to overcome anything to grow, learn, and develop. In my early years, so much energy was put into shaping curriculum, and that certainly has its benefits. In later years, so much energy has gone into shaping learning through both formative and summative assessments that show evidence of students meeting very strong, attainable learning goals in the English curriculum, and there is great benefit in these skills as well. It has been in the years in between that my real strengths have been developed, and those strengths are in developing communication skills that have enable me to connect, support, inspire, guide, mentor, and coach students from a wide array of backgrounds. Being a white dad who adopted trans-racially certainly didn't hurt my understanding and development, but I do know that my ability to care about students and see into their world, understand their culture, and truly care about them and their world, is probably the most defining and important step I have taken. Students know I care. I believe that a teacher needs to be able to know their content, build their lessons in community with their colleagues, but no single task has produced more results for me than my care for my students. Yes, a wonderful lesson plan, a continued and consistent series of lessons in a unit and a yearlong plan of powerful learning opportunities is so very important. But caring is a contagious thing. Promote it through modeling, and you might see how students grow in their caring for themselves, their learning community, their future.