Since the Christmas break I’ve revamped a number of things in my classroom, and transitions are tighter, expectations are higher, and work is more challenging than ever. I refuse to clean up or push in chairs after my kids, and the worst punishment I give is a student has to stand in front of the class and tell them what they did to someone else and we brainstorm what could have done instead. I have such incredibly high hopes for my scholars!

Though they are only 4 or 5 years old, they have a great association with school, and they want to grow their brains. They know that they are loved, smart, and capable of anything with hard work. They know how important it is to make good choices and be nice to everyone. Recently I’ve been really internalizing the messages I’m sending to them and trying to be the best human I can be, both for them and just because it’s the right thing to do.

Although this is the most challenging exp erience of my life, I feel unbelievably grateful to have the opportunity to spend so much time with these brilliant young people. They teach me so much about love and life, and I know that the impact I make on them now will help them for the rest of their lives.