I had a little girl in my class a few years back I'll call Sally. She was such a sweetheart and then out of the blue started having behavior issues. Our social worker called the mother and she came to the school to talk. It turned out that her husband started drinking again and was hitting her in front of the child. This mom cried and cried. We made it a point to visit as often as we could. I went to  church with Sally and her mother, had dinner at her house, and we became friends. She found a good job so that she could provide for Sally.The father was eventually deported and Sally and her mom returned to stable ground. 

At school Sally was now not only not having behavior issues but she also became a very serious student. She asked me 1000 questions a day about becoming a teacher and the process of becoming one herself one day. She was more than ready for kindergarten by the time she left and after they tested her she was actually moved up to 1st grade so that she did not get bored. On her last day of school her mother wrote me a beautiful note (in Spanish) that I have saved and Sally hugged me goodbye and cried that she would miss me. 

I have since her a few times as she comes to the school to visit and each and every time she always tells me that she will never forget me and asks, "Where will I be able to find you when I get big?" I told her, "If I am not here in this classroom I will make sure you know where I am."  I love that not only did she touch my heart but that I touched hers. We keep tabs on the family and my social worker gives me updates. I still show up at the church now and then to keep in contact. I hope I showed her that not only was I her first formal teacher but someone who cared a great deal about her home life. 

What fuels my passion for the early childhood field is the fact that I am a child's first formal teacher. The impression I have to make so they grow up to be lifelong learners is, to me, immense. I want them to wake up and be excited to go to school! I can't wait for the Sallys of my past to come back to see me, all grown up and well prepared for the future. It was said by our bilingual master teacher that we are actually harder on our students because of all the barriers they have to overcome and I think this is very true. After their 2 years is up with me, I want them to leave with not only the academics to continue but with confidence in themselves.