I took this photo of my first graders on our field trip to the pumpkin patch a few years ago. They didn't know I was taking the picture, which is my favorite part about it. These three boys are different in just about every sense of the word -- different races; different socio-economic backgrounds; with different definitions of the word "family". One has a Mom and a Dad, one just a Mom, and one only a Dad and his Grandmother. But, in this moment, they shared one thing in common - their friendship. I keep this picture on my desk to remind myself of why I do what I do every day. But recently, I realized these boys can serve as a much bigger reminder: how we should move forward as a nation.
