The Gift

Lately, I have been reflecting on my experience as an educator. For the first time in twenty years, I am not caring for children. Most of my work has involved school-age children. School has started. It feels strange not to be working in a program. 

I was considering the gifts educators encounter each day in our work. Many people have jobs that are demanding and dangerous. Positions that occupy all their time and are done mostly for money. Jobs that every day on their morning commute, people wish their life could change. I understand many jobs are demanding and mentally challenging.

In contrast, most educators love going to work each day and look forward t learning with the children and experiencing life together. We love the families and supporting their dreams. We provide a quality environment for their children to grow and learn.

In our work, we receive a gift every day. Educators experience special moments in life. Think about it; we encounter children as they make discoveries, learn new things, experience awe, and grow right before our own eyes. Think about a child who struggles with a new skill, then has the joy of figuring it out. Educators experience this wonder up close and personal. We encounter children at their best and as they are learning. We have the opportunity to comfort and guide children. We mentor them through the tough times with the wisdom we gained by living as children ourselves.

A child's first steps and mastery of physical skills represent the miracle of life materializing right before us. Educators experience a front-row seat to the most extraordinary moments on earth. Children in our care are learning to discover their purpose in life, even at a young age. Educators experience this process. We stand alongside and witness children grow from year to year. I am always amazed at the children who come to our school. They begin at five years old and leave many years later. By then, they were much taller, wiser, and accomplished than I imagined the time we first met. The transformation is a result of the children's work. Educators are lucky enough to witness the transformation.

Rewinding the past and all the children I have come in contact with, memories flood my brain. I could write stories about our work together for hours and hours. The stories would never fill the pages of my memory and of the greatness of life that happened. The children and I laughed and cried together. We ran and jumped and then ran some more, played in the water, and painted pictures. We produced plays, learned photography, and cooked some fantastic meals. These examples only scratch the surface of what I experienced as one educator, in one place, at one time.

If educators live in the moment, we will recognize that most people do not have an opportunity to experience a gift every day. Each moment with the children represents a diamond in the rough and a moment waiting for discovery.