Because

Author’s Note: One of my many professional stops along the way was as a middle school teacher. I was a poor fit in a less-then-stellar school, and only lasted two years before walking away. But I felt this, as I believe all teachers do.

I encounter, each day,

Scores of young adults,

Thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen years old,

Each with his or her own little world

About which I know so little.

And like an Infinite Atlas

I carry these worlds upon my shoulders.

Because

I am a teacher.