I'm an extremely passionate person, and when I was given the opportunity to take a summer job that incorporated many of my passions, I jumped at the chance. I have spent the last eight weeks working full time with mentally ill and behaviorally challenged children in a therapeutic summer program. I went in with the goal of helping these children, and making an impact on their lives. Never did I imagine that I would be leaving with a heart that was more full, a mind that was more understanding, and a patience that had been tested to its wits' end (ok, maybe I had a general idea about the patience).

There is so much to be learned from these children that some days, I was sure I left having learned more from them than I could teach them the entire summer. My eyes were opened, filled with tears, and crinkled up from uncontainable laughter. It is with a heavy heart that I end this time with these children. I have never experienced a more difficult time when leaving a job. Job isn't even the right word to describe this opportunity with which I have been blessed. These children are more than a job.

I am proud to say that, because of this experience, I walk away from this transformative -- for, hopefully, the children, as well as for me -- summer a different person than I entered it. Let me share with you some of the lessons I take away with me as I look back on this time.

Everyone is dealing with, or has dealt with, something you don't know about.

One of the more difficult things for me to come to terms with was the troubles many of these children had experienced, or were living with, every single day. It never becomes less surprising or difficult to hear a child, who is sweet, caring, fun, and kind disclose the hell he or she finds himself within. I became very close, very quickly with many of these children; to them, their lives are their "normal," though they may seem strange, or even terrifying, to those of us in healthier situations. Because of this closeness, the children often felt comfortable talking to me, or the other teachers, about what they faced; many of them spoke about it very nonchalantly because it was all they knew -- which made it that much sadder to hear. I did not meet a single child who did not have some problem that affected them on a daily basis. Each child handled it differently, but all were affected. When applying this to my everyday life, I realized that this is true of every person you come in contact with on some level. Everyone has demons.

Poor mental health does not always manifest itself in obvious ways.

The majority of the children I had the privilege to work with were not mentally healthy. If you were to see any of these children walking down the street, there is a 99 percent chance that you would never know that. One of the most important things I learned about mental health is the fact that, most of the time, you cannot tell a person's mental health based upon his or her appearance. I think of the old adage, "you can't judge a book by its cover." This is incredibly true. You cannot look at a person and know the depression they face, the personality disorder with which they struggle, the anxiety and anguish that torments them, or any other battles they are fighting. These children did not look deranged, they did not drool or talk to themselves (usually --they're kids, come on), and they did not exhibit any of the horrible and outdated stereotypes of the mentally ill. They looked like children, yet they struggled every day.

The battle to be mentally healthy can be very grueling and difficult.

I watched a child cry and struggle as he was plagued by anxiety at the skating rink because he couldn't deal with the mass of people. I watched a child's anger at her home situation become so emotionally debilitating, she shut down and refused to let anyone reach out to her. I listened as a child told me that she was finally seeing her mother, but only for 30 minutes because she wasn't "better." I watched a child fall asleep in class every day because the medicine he uses to help himself cope kept him drowsy. This is only a minute sample of the fight I saw these children putting up every day for the past eight weeks. Sometimes the fight was with us, the teachers and therapists. Sometimes the fight was with other children. Sometimes the children fought with themselves. Being mentally ill is a battle every single day, and these children fight hard. Imagine the difficulty of trying to develop throughout your childhood and teenage years, and then adding mental illness -- as if it's not all ready challenging enough.

It is important to remember that mental illness is no less difficult on the person than physical illness, and it should not be treated as less. People with mental illness are not lazy, irresponsible, or making excuses. They are sick.

It's not your fault, but it is your problem, and you are your solution.

I told my kids this all the time. We saw a lot of children come from very difficult, unhealthy, and even scary situations. I reminded them all the time that coming from a home where the parents or guardians abused drugs was not their fault. Coming from poverty was not their fault. Coming from an abusive situation was not their fault. Nonetheless, this was the situation in which they found themselves. I reminded them that they had resources, such as the other teachers, myself, and the therapists. They could talk to us and we would do all in our power to help them, but ultimately, and even after we were gone, they had themselves. They are their own solution.

Your home situation does not excuse your behavior. You never have an excuse to be hurtful, mean, or disrespectful. Do not let your hardship become an excuse, but rather, your motivation. Do your best, try your hardest, and work your way out of the bad and into something better. I saw a lot of kids this summer working to turn their lives into something better.

I was blessed beyond belief to receive the opportunity to work with these wonderful children. I was exhausted, tried, tested, loved on, laughed with, and hugged daily, and I wouldn't have traded a single second with these incredible kiddos. I can walk away saying I see the potential for something amazing in each and every one of them, and they brought out something amazing in me.

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." Nido Qubein.