Every time I talk to someone about my work, they always say the same thing; “it takes a special kind of person”. It takes a special kind of person to love working with little kids. It takes a special kind of person to love working with disabled kids. Does it really? Because to me, that’s just... normal. Shouldn’t it be normal to care about kids and wanting to be a positive influence in their lives? Why is that not the norm? Why is that different? Why is that “special”? It’s one thing to care and another thing to do it for a living, yes, but it feels weird to me to think that there are people who are at a loss to understand loving the work. It’s such a matter of fact thing for me that I just can’t grasp it. Does that make me a special kind of person? Because to me that makes me normal.
This is on my mind because I keep hearing those words from every family member and friend that I talk to about my job. Like, almost every one of them has said it. It’s so weird to me that it’s such a common notion.