This summer I’ve had the amazing opportunity to teach a Preschool summer enrichment program at the YMCA. Each week I teach a class of 3, 4, and 5-year-olds and saying that things get interesting would be an understatement. This job has given me insight into my future as an early childhood educator, but the benefits of teaching these kiddos has far surpassed just the career experience. It’s definitely a cliché, to say that as a teacher I learn from my students every day, but it couldn’t be more true. Here are a few of the valuable lessons my students have taught me:

Hugging your Mom is awesome and you should never stop appreciating that.

As sad as I am to see my students go home at the end of each day, I can’t help but smile when I see them run into their mother’s arms or grab tightly on to her leg. They’ve only been apart for a few hours but they reunite like it’s been months. It makes me wonder, at what point does this bond begin to change? I mean sure, my mom might think I was crazy if I started hugging her every time she walks through the door, but I think we underestimate how lucky we are to have the chance to hug someone who loves us as unconditionally as our moms do. So the next time you see your mom, the person who probably loves you and has done more for you than anyone in the world, try to remember what it was like when she picked you up from preschool and give her the biggest hug you can.

Being a good friend is much easier than we make it.

As we get older, we tend to rapidly loose the ability to be true and loving friends. This probably gets the worst around age 14 and then steadily rebuilds, but sometimes not without irreparable damage being done. As we get older we trust less and become much less willing to make meaningful apologies. We become incredibly stubborn. At age 4, we are masters of forgive and forget. We do not hold grudges and we are incredibly accepting of the flaws of our peers. My students have showed me how easy, yet incredibly important, it is to apologize and make amends. I’m not sure if anyone ever learns this lesson before it’s too late.

The journey can be much more important than the destination.

Too often I view the steps I must take to complete a task as the means to an end. I think that many of us take this approach to receiving our college degrees. We put in the necessary work but in the end we just covet that piece of paper. My students have taught me that the process of completing a task should be a valued experience. It is a time to experiment and try new things; it is a time to make mistakes. My students value the crafts they put together because of the skills they mastered along the way. They take true pride in their work because of what they learned in the process.

We are born with an equal appreciation for all people, prejudice is entirely learned.

I am blessed with a beautiful and diverse group of kiddos who have shown me time and time again that we are born with equal love and appreciation for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or ability. Seeing this generation completely untainted by systemic notions of racial supremacy I feel so much hope for the future of our country. In turn, my students have taught me how much of an impact I can have as a future educator by promoting equality and an appreciation for diversity. It is the job of parents and educators alike to ensure that this beautiful innocence is not warped into prejudice and hatred.

These are just a few simple lessons, and I’m sure my students have so much more to teach me. I am forever grateful for this opportunity to grown as a teacher and learn in unexpected ways this summer.