mistake " miiiiiiistaaake...steak.... OH I LOVE STEAK!"

He interrupts my explanation with, "Ann, can I tell you something?" and goes on to tell me a completely random story about his weekend or favorite video game. Our frustrations have been exercised, I  have almost fallen asleep while he worked through his math problems,and he's put up with crabby Ann a ton, but hard work never goes unpaid. 

The catch about what I do is that there is little to no instant gratification, you don't tend to see improvement right away to reaffirm what you're doing. Without that, working through the long days is completely draining. I do enjoy my time with him, there really isn't much of a dull moment, however, after a eight and half hour shift with 3/4 yr olds...two hours with Ethan becomes a real chore. ( I hate to admit that)

I've been working with him for about two months now, and I'm ecstatic to see some real improvement. I've recently noticed it, and his confidence tells me he's noticed as well. Granted he still has some learning difficulty, it gives me joy to see that these long 12 hr days between preschool and him have amounted to something. He's expanded his vocabulary and progresses along with the class in math. IT'S THIS MOMENT, that I work towards. 

 I asked him to include a turkey since we took his halloween picture down lol

The moment when I look at a student, and know that they've grown smarter and more confident now than they were before. 

Knowing that I played a part in it makes up for all the frustration and loss of patience I experience day to day.

Whether its a year or a few months ago, growth is what life is about. The students themselves don't see it the way I do, but that's okay, their mission is different than mine. 

I'm proud, and we're going on strong. By the end of this year he's going to be leaps and bounds away from where he started.

I just know it.