The Mae Series 7/9: Jaimie, Family Friend

(THE MAE SERIES 7/9: Jaimie, Family Friend)

As a preschool teacher, I typically work with the “littles” at STAR programming. The first time I met Mae I was teaching paddle boarding, when she was 3 or 4. Getting on the paddle board with a new person is scary in itself, and then this crazy lady told her it was time to stand up.  She was resistant for a little bit, but then she just popped up. When she realized she was standing on her own the biggest grin spread across her face. She immediately looked for Mom on the beach.  I have a picture of us from that moment, and it is still a favorite of mine.  The look of pure joy and pride on her face, but also the look of “of course I can do it” when she realized she was doing something that had made her so nervous is amazing. As Mae has grown she continues to look at new (and possibly scary) situations with pure confidence, when she is ready and stands right up with joy and pride.

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