this last wensday i went out on the usual 3 day sail with a group of 25 6th grade kids. it wasn't usual though because one little boy broke my heart with one sentence... i was having a hard time getting all the names down and i apologized saying "just give me a little bit i will remember your name". he looked at me plainly with pain in his eyes only those big brown eyes of his and stated "no you won't remember me." he said it with such conviction... he believed i wouldn't remember him he believed that i saw him as just one of many faces that wouldn't matter when he was gone. i wanted to cry and i realized these children and young adult i work with every day teaching them how to sail need me to remember them even if it is just their name they need to now that they are more then just another student. this 12 year old boy named victor helped me grow so much more then i could ever expect and realize to a stronger degree how important what i am doing is. i love all of the children that i get to teach because i know that i will make my best effort to show them that they are more then a face in the crowd.