“Please, don’t take my Daddy away.” I sobbed from the step of our apartment door, as I watched two police officers shove my father into the back of a police car. I was six years old. After that, I visited him in fleeting moments at the facility he was at. We always took pictures in front of the butterfly mural in the visiting quarters, and cried when it was time to leave again. For years, my young life was filled with, “Daddy is so sorry,” and giant hand painted cards for every holiday. Even though I was young, I was not naive. I knew where my father was, but I was never able to process it. Growing up, I frequently heard that the phone works both ways, and that I made my father sad whenever I didn’t call. Being eight years old at the time, I still learned to be an affective communicator. I sent talking cards, voice memos, and stuffed animals; in which would always be returned to me as they were not accepted due to safety reasons. I learned how to forgive accept other people’s shortcomings from a young age, because that was all I could do to keep my relationship with my father. I knew at that point, I never wanted to put anyone through the pain that my father put upon me, and the rest of our family. Since I was young, I always wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to teach the children that didn’t have a good home life that my classroom is a safe space for them. I wanted to teach them all the things they never learned from their parents or guardians. I just wanted to give them what I never had, and I still do to this day. My father’s incarceration has impacted me tremendously to be the mother figure, friend or adult that these children can feel safe and seen around. Some of these kids look forward to coming to school for 8 hours a day, just to get away from the chaos and impending trauma that awaits them at home. I would know, as I was one of those kids once. My long term goal has always been to teach these young minds to the best of my ability, and shape them into responsible and empathetic future citizens. I am finally on the forefront of graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education, and I have loved every single minute of learning how to accept and teach these young and growing minds as they are. Even though, I still grieve the little girl I never got to be; I can’t wait to give that experience to all of my future students. Incarceration broke me down in so many ways, but it shaped me to be best role model and educator I can possibly be.