For my two weeks of Vocare, I served at Madison Elementary School and worked in kindergarten and third-grade classrooms. Every day, I watched each student come into the classrooms with joyous looks and a bright good morning to their teacher. Throughout the day, I sat with the kids on the carpet, helped them focus while the teacher taught, read with them, had lunch with them, went to their specials, and played Dress to Impress on the whiteboards before sending them off to their parents and families at the end of the day.

If there is one lesson I have learned, it is to open my heart and care for those around me to the best of my ability. The students at Madison Elementary care so deeply for each other and constantly want to help anyone they see struggling. Both the staff and students make each other feel special and valued.

In kindergarten, one child has a few behavioral issues and has trouble focusing for long periods of time, so carpet work is a daily struggle. However, every time we sat on the carpet, the girl who sat next to him ushered him over and gave him a big side hug. He’d constantly choose her as his partner for independent work time and vice versa. The two were stuck to the hip, and seeing him start to focus and learn with her beside him was terrific.

During my two weeks there, I witnessed several student and staff birthdays. One day, while I was in Ms. Wilkins's third-grade class, it was the other third-grade teacher’s birthday. While the students were taking their math test, Ms. Wilkins made a card and, after, had her students write little messages before singing "Happy Birthday" in the halls for the other third-grade teacher to hear. When the singing was over, all the kids quickly hugged the other teacher before returning to their classroom and enjoying their extra recess.

Watching young children and the staff perform small acts of kindness that our society forgets so much about stirred up something inside me: a warmness I’ll never forget. It made every day into a good day filled with smiles and laughter. The atmosphere of each class and the school was so welcoming that I never wanted to leave at the end of the day.

We often forget how even the most minor actions can brighten someone’s day and fill them with a sense of belonging, so I hope you can be kind to those you meet and open your heart to them.