Since I had extra time during Fall Break, I decided to stay for the second hour of A+, which was great because it gave me time to interact with the kids. I was sitting in Mrs. Stacy’s office when an old friend of mine, a Harry Potter loving 5th grader, came bounding into the room, giving Mrs. Stacy a hug and asking her for snacks. She was always a bright girl with a very vibrant character and well, a lot to say. I asked her how her summer had gone and she answered me with a smile, but with little recognition showing in her features. It wasn’t until I asked her if she had finished reading Harry Potter that she realized who I was, her face lighting up with joy  With a skip in her step, she came over to me with a “Oh, you! I know you!” Before I could say much of anything else, she tilted her head and gave me a curious look. “You look different…” I gave her a confused look of my own, “Oh?” She nodded enthusiastically and patted my arm. “But I’m glad it’s you!” I didn’t know what to say.

The rest of my time that afternoon was spent helping some of the girls out with their homework and listening to the tales and quips they had to share. I couldn’t get over it, however… how it had been almost an entire summer and I had only interacted with this young girl over a few visits and she remembered who I was– not by how I looked, but by how I had spent time with her, how we had bonded over something as arbitrary as a book series. I am in constant awe of how simple it is to impact someone, especially children.