A Summer Job That Changes A Heart

Today Anna came home with such a sad face and tears in her eyes. It reminded me of when she was little. So sweet, so genuine. 

Today was her last day at her summer job - but really I shouldn't call it a summer job as it was more like a summer internship. 

Let's start from the beginning. 

Anna's major in college is psychology with a minor in both creative writing and Chinese. Her college (College of the Holy Cross) has an entire department to help her with internships. But Anna really didn't want to do an internship until next year. (an internship could be quite complicated with location, car, etc) So we decided to her her start next summer. 

So this summer I forwarded her the email of the department that runs a program in our town (where I teach 4th grade)  call ESY {Extended School Year} This summer program is different from 'summer school' in our town for kids that need just a bit of catch up. ESY is for children that are in the 'Intensive Behavior' program. 

Usually each school year in my classroom of about twenty students I'll have one student in the Intensive Behavior' program. They are always with a para (helper to the teacher) that sits with them, shadows them all day long (goes with them to specials like PE, art, music, library, lunch, recess). These wonderful students have exactly what the program is called, intensive behavior for a variety of reasons. 

So this summer program called Extended School Year allows these students to have the school experience in the summer to help them move toward their social, emotional, and even a bit of their academic goals. 

Anna applied to work in this program.

She was quite brave. She has no background in education (except for the fact that her mom and dad are both in education) and her own experience with students in her school years.

She had no idea what do expect. We didn't either. 

But she went for it anyway for the experience. 

And what an amazing experience it was for her. 💞

I watched her go from timid and nervous the first few days to bonding with individual students the next.

She truly fell in love with them - with the program - with all of it. 

I was so proud of her for connecting on a personal level with each individual student she worked with. She came home every single day with so many stories about her day, questions for us, and more. I listened each day and watched as she changed -- truly changed. She was needed emotionally for these kiddos and she came through in her calm, gentle way. 

She was invested -- often thinking of new ways to engage them -- even buying and bringing in things for them to play with at recess. 

In anticipation for the last day she wrote to each individual student she worked one on one with. She drew a picture for each one that showed their special connection, and she wrote the most beautiful letters to each one. 

She was sad, oh so sad to let it all go today. She cried when she got home and even told me that she cried when she was driving home. And since then we've processed and talked and thanked God for directing her steps to ESY and through this program. 

So so grateful for the summer - for the chance to try new things - to grow - and to come out stronger in the end. 

I found this note Abigail had written to Anna and I think she summed up that whole experience perfectly in one little note: 

So so proud of you Anna. You shocked us and at the same time didn't surprise us at all. I love you!