When I first started working with kids, it began as just an easy job that I could fill my time with as a college student. But that kind of feeling only lasted for less than a month. Now most of my day is consumed by how, and what I can do to bring more joy and happiness into the kids I work with lives.

Its not just a job anymore. I wake up and am excited to go to work to see all of their faces and work with them. Yes there are days were they drive me bonkers, but what I do with my attitude and how I compose myself on those days affects them and me. I don't let myself get angry, or upset. I take a deep breath, and whatever the situation is, I choose to work through it with them, not against them.

The biggest thing I have taken away from working with these amazing children is that your perspective can change everything. If you choose to be patient and kind, no matter the circumstance, it is more rewarding when it works out in the end. When you choose more aggressive stances, all you have now is regrets. Because I choose patience and kindness, my job is more rewarding than it was before. Kindness goes hand and hand with empathy. Choose to empathize with others rather than go against them.

There are days where it is hard to find patience, but it is a choice to take a deep breath and work through it. There is not half working through it. It is full fledged both feet in at first patience. Because I have practiced using patience, it has benefited more aspects of my life. I have become a better listener, a better friend, a better daughter, and a better overall person.

Kids have taught me that without patience, and kindness, there is not very many things you can really be rewarded for doing. So instead of expecting results instantly, work through it, solve the problem, and then take a step back and see how far you have come.