I have felt close to my students all summer, but today I found myself experiencing overwhelming emotion... Several times throughout the day, I felt strong urges to laugh, cry, dance, hug my students, or just tell them that they are amazing.

Perhaps it was the moment I saw a student win the Spirit Torch, a prized object of status given on basis of merit of academic achievement, personal growth, and a sense of community. The torch clearly meant a great deal to this girl.

Or perhaps it was when the entire room, including generally unenthusiastic students, sincerely chanted "We are proud of you, yes we are proud of you!" I cannot convey the impression I took, but that is perhaps the first moment that I felt strongly reassured that this program contributed to the growth and actualization of these students.

Perhaps I felt strongly when a group of students did the hora as 100 students clapped to the rhythm of Nagila Hava.

Perhaps it happened when individual students discussed openly amongst each other how they felt about being called names, or their insecurities, or the look in a student's eyes, a student who called himself a jit, that I don't care how short he is, he is not a jit, and I will never think of him as a jit. It was not a relieved or relaxed expression that his eyes maintained, but a contemplative, reflective, and mature look.

Perhaps when a student leans against me for comfort, or asks for help with homework, or tells me that Breakthrough is a great experience for them, I feel a swelling in my chest that I have yet to define with anything other tears.

Several times throughout the summer I have doubted the efficacy of this program. I have had my questions. But as the end of the summer approaches, those doubts have been erased, those fears assuaged, and my questions answered. This program is the best thing I could have possibly done with my summer.