It’s the little things that pay off in the distant future.
A precious family picture from three generations ago is meaningless if you don’t know who is in the picture. With the names on the back, they are fascinating connections to your personal history. Without the names, they’re just old-timey photos.
Taking that tiny moment, now, to write the names on the back can carry goodwill across generations. (Not that I’m any good at this myself, but I can appreciate it when done well!)
By the same token, the little things that we do as teachers, year over year, can make a profound difference. I know that I am the human I am because of little life lessons written “on the back” of math and language lessons decades ago. They have paid massive dividends, even if I can’t remember the lesson. I hope and trust that the writing I’m doing in the margins of my own rehearsals will pay forward the same way. Choosing to do that extra work makes a difference.