All the early mornings

All the late nights

The tears, the sweat, the hard work

It’s not for the dollars in the pay check. It’s not for the likes on a post. It’s not for the number of books sold or the money earned from those books.

It’s for the kids. Every single one who has entered my classroom, my roster, my heart. It always has been. It always will be.

The numbers play a game with my mind. They try to control, to slip inside and take over. They try to tell me if I am successful, or ever will be.

I am here to remind myself it is for the kids. Being sent photos of my cousins daughter and husband reading my book over and over again before she will go to sleep. Teachers sharing photos of their classroom reading my book…. Enjoying my book. These little moments will continue to fill my heart and fuel me to push forward and carve a path for the future for Early Childhood and young learners to come.