I never thought I could feel so much happiness than when I knew I was impacting a child life for the better. I would rush home from school, change into my work uniform, and soak up as much sun as I possibly could knowing I wouldn’t see or feel its warmth for the rest of the day. My bleak attitude during depressing winter days completely revolved once I stepped into my classroom; every day thirteen chubby two-year old would run to me exclaiming how they missed me and how their scribbled drawings were just for me. Their parents saw my commitment and regularly told me stories about how their little one now knew the words “spectacular” and “illuminating” or they used the bathroom all by themselves singing the potty song I had made up the day before.
