Read My Story

It all started with a little girl who wanted to be seen.

I was a scrawny, freckle-faced third grader who loved jump rope and tumbling. I had the bruises to prove it. For reasons I still don't fully understand, I believed my PE teacher disliked me. I can't remember a single encouraging word from her, but I can still picture the expression on her face.Whether that feeling was real or not, it shaped the story I carried about myself.
I left elementary school shy, insecure, and convinced I wasn't athletic enough to belong. Years later, when I accepted a full-time position as a PE paraprofessional at my children's elementary school, I quietly made myself a promise. If I had the chance to become the adult I once needed, I wasn't going to waste it.Every afternoon, I'd come home from school and drop that day's bracelet trades into a pickle jar before getting in the shower. Before long, one jar became two, and by the end of the year there were far too many bracelets for my arms. I'd promised the kids I would wear every single one on the last day of school, so instead, I made them into a skirt. That simple promise grew into a tradition that continues today.Without knowing it then, The Pocket Treasure Project was quietly being born.By the fall of 2025, my bead supplies were running low, so I made a simple post on social media asking if anyone had extras to share. I filmed the oversized jug that now held a year's worth of bracelet trades and explained how the beads helped me connect with students. I expected a handful of responses. Instead, my community filled my home with more beads than I could have imagined.Armed with a generous supply, I decided to expand my reach. I began making bracelet kits for students, bead kits for our school counselor, rewards for the PE treasure box, and little surprises tucked inside library books.Inspired by the joy those little surprises created, I began making handmade clay treasures and hiding them throughout the school. The tiny fish magnets quickly became the heart of the project. In just three months, I handmade and painted more than 700 treasures, creating a culture of whimsy, curiosity, kindness, and connection that students and staff looked forward to every day.Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn't just building relationships with students—I was healing the little third grader inside myself. In trying to make sure other children felt seen, I finally began to feel seen too.Thank you for reading.Every Pocket Treasure is hidden with the hope that someone will pause, smile, and remember that kindness still exists in the world.