Insight is a powerful form of intuition that I feel is lost on the adult population. As we grow older, there is a tendency to grow close-minded and to shy away from the times as they shift further and further from the traditional norm into the more modern extremes. Children, however, never cease to amaze me with the levels of insight that spew from their unbiased mouths. One of my favorite questions to ask my campers is “what would you like to be when you grow up?” The reason why is because I specifically remember answering this question as a child, and until recently, I hadn’t realized how sure I was of myself and my intentions at such a young age. This also made me realize how confident children are in their own intentions without even realizing it themselves.

Typically, when you ask a youngster what they want to be when they grow up, they gravitate to the “cool” careers like astronaut or veterinarian or firefighter. When you ask them why, they tell you that they want to help animals or travel in space, but deep down, something clicks, and their intellects start gravitating towards those things that interest them. It has always amazed me when the little lightbulb flickers and children have that realization that they can accomplish a task and reach any goals they set for themselves, and this especially shines bright at the end of the day when the pool highs fade and the sleepy snack aftermath sets in.

My favorite part of the day is that calming hour between snack and parent pickups when children scatter and spend many minutes setting up puzzles and card games and complex board games. This is the time when you get to see the magic behind childcare. The most rewarding component of my job is seeing a ten-year-old explain Monopoly to a six-year-old, and then hearing them accurately count back the change after auctioning off a two-hundred-dollar property for one hundred and ninety-five dollars. (We still haven’t grasped the concept of aiming low at the start of the bidding process, but we’re working on it.) It’s watching a group of kids of varying ages create constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. It’s competing in the best game of 5-on-5 basketball I’ve ever participated in. But most importantly, it’s seeing the joy on each child’s face as they cripple in a laughter that leaves them breathless because someone made a funny joke.

I thoroughly enjoy my summer job because to me it has never been work. It has always been a privilege because I get to strive every day to make a difference in a child’s life no matter how big or how small. In my experience and through the numerous hours of observation in various settings that I have completed thus far, I can tell you that it is easier to give up on what most would deem a “lost cause.” It is a thousand times harder to dedicate yourself to your craft and to make yourself a dominant presence in a child’s life. I’ve recently found myself struggling with this very issue because there comes a time when a child has already put up the walls with no signs of letting you in. You’ve tried and you’ve tried, and nothing seems to work. What do you do? My advice is to do everything you can to break through the brick and mortar. Use every tactic you have up your sleeve, and if you’ve exhausted every trick in the book, then you need to understand that you did everything you could do for that child. Hopefully someone someday will reach him or her, but you cannot beat yourself up over something that may very well be out of your control.

This summer is the first time I’ve felt the despair and hopelessness that comes with childcare and instruction, and I am grateful for the experience because I now know the reality that I will face some day soon. I wouldn’t trade any of these experiences because they are a necessary evil. I feel better prepared for my debut in the classroom starting in the Fall of 2019, but before I end this insight into my life, I need to take you all the way back to 2002. This was a time where my teeth resembled the sparkling incisors of one Bugs Bunny, and I was sporting bangs similar to those of Dora.

Now, you’re probably wondering how my little spiel about camp relates to my chosen career path, so let me shed a little light on the topic. When I was in first grade, I was chosen – along with one other student – to tutor a peer who had severe autism. He was completely non-verbal, and his aid would pull all three of us out of class for a few hours a week. During these hours, we would participate in sensory activities, such as playing with blocks and puzzles and completing math problems on white boards or on the Abacus. I looked forward to this allotted time every week because it was such a treat to see the boy who everybody thought was weird excel in and enjoy the activities we provided each week. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a teacher; I wanted to see that level of enjoyment every day, and I’m just under a year away from becoming what I want to be when I grow up.

So, as you can see, it is important to ask children what they want to be when they grow up because they know more than you think. I love that my job entails a level of encouragement that may stick just enough so that one day I’ll see the camper who loved basketball make it to the NBA or the girl who loved myth busters cure cancer. Some say it’s naïve to encourage a “pipe dream,” but I’m all about reaching for the stars – one cup of coffee and one smile at a time. Never forget the moment you knew who you were and what you wanted to be because your dreams will become a reality if you work hard enough and if you have the right people cheering you on along the way.