10/04/2026
Dear Anna,
It’s me. The older version of you.
I’m here to tell you all about our journey, and it’s very close to what you dreamed.
Let’s go to you now as little five-year-old Anna.
You just decided that you want to be a teacher when you grow up.
And let me just say…
I have never seen any five-year-old so committed to who they want to be.
You go to school, observe your teachers, and then go home and practice what you learned.

Every. Single. DAY.
Oh, and let’s not forget about Miss Anna’s Schoolhouse.
You use your stuffed animals not just for snuggling, but as your students too.
Your worksheets are very official.
And in your mind, this is serious business.
All those imaginary fights you have to break up, keeping your students in line, and proudly holding the title:
#1 Master of the Misbehaved.
You have no idea that this little game you play every day is giving you a tiny glimpse of what you’ll one day love so much.
Now let’s go ahead five years later.
———
You’re 10.
And things have gotten serious.
You now dress like a teacher.
The worksheets are GRADED.
Your sister and brother are officially enrolled in your classroom.
P.S. Why does your brother want to be a dog???? Anyways…
You have expectations.
You have procedures.
You have a schedule.
You’re still saying, “I want to be a teacher,” but now there’s evidence.
You go to school and talk to your classmates like you have life experience.
And for some very important reason, you made it your duty to be lunch monitor at recess.
You’re starting to understand that being a teacher isn’t just standing at the front of a classroom.
You don’t know it yet, but you’re already learning what kind of teacher you want to become.
Now let’s jump to fifteen.
———
You’re 15.
And the dream is starting to get REAL.
You tutor for the first time.
You’re beginning to see the difference one person can make in a child’s day.
You’re not just pretending to be a teacher anymore.
You’re learning how to become one.
Now let’s jump to the fun part: college.
———
You’re 18.
You start your freshman year of college, but now something changed.
You’re in NURSING CLASSES.
What just happened?!
What were you thinking??
It’s okay. It only took two years before you realized you made a big mistake and came back to your senses.
———
You’re 20.
You walk onto campus with a clear focus for what you were always going to do. . .
Become a teacher.
You’re going to have your own classroom.
You’re going to make a difference.
You still have SO much to learn, but that little girl who lined up stuffed animals for Miss Anna’s Schoolhouse is getting closer and closer to living out the life she imagined.
———
You’re 22.
You’ve graduated.
You put on the cap and gown.
You hold that degree.
And for a moment, you get to look at everything you’ve worked toward and say,
“I did it.”
But Anna…
This isn’t the end of the dream.
Because teaching is going to teach you too.
It’s going to teach you how important it is to know the child.
How much confidence matters.
How learning isn’t just about getting the right answer.
How the most important thing you can give a student is someone who sees them, understands them, and refuses to give up on them.
A teacher that CARES.
And that someone is You.
———
And now…
HERE WE ARE.
31.
We became a teacher.
We are helping children learn.
We are tutoring.
We are building relationships.
We are learning.
And then we took everything we’ve seen, experienced, and believed and built something of our own.
Loved For Generations. ❤️
A place where students are seen.
Where parents feel supported.
Where learning is personal.
Where we get to do what you dreamed we would do all those years ago.
But Anna…
YOU MADE THIS.
YOU BUILT THIS.
YOU OWN THIS.
You couldn’t have known what all those little moments were preparing you for.
And I hope you know…
I am so proud of you.
I’m proud of the five-year-old girl who was made fun of, teased, and not taken seriously as the teacher she was going to be.
The ten-year-old who lost friends because she took her pretend classroom way too seriously.
The fifteen-year-old who stepped into the classroom to see what teaching was really like.
The twenty-year-old who made the bold decision to drop her nursing studies to transition back toward pursuing her lifelong dream.
The twenty-two-year-old who finished school, holding her teaching degree.
And most of all. . .
The thirty-one-year-old who looked at everything she had learned and said,
“I think I can build this.”
You dreamed it before you understood it.
You lived it before you could name it.
And now, all these years later…
We’re here.
Building brick by brick until one day we will have a place of our own.
So, Anna…
Thank you for not giving up, no matter how rough it’s been.
Because I think your dream is working out better than we imagined. ❤️
