Going to work, doing what she loves, and having a positive impact on a young child's life-Patty Supowitz couldn't picture her life any other way. For the past eight years, Patty has worked at Deer Run Elementary School as a literacy instructional aid.

"I really love my job, I like the people I work with, I like the kids-what more can I ask for?" she asks.

Before going to college at age 50, she was heavily involved in the lives of her two children, Trisha, 40, and John, 26, so devoting her time to children has always been a part of Patty's life in some way or another. While her children were young, she spent much of her days caring for them and being active in their schools as a room mother and volunteering at school events.

When her children grew older, Patty felt there was more to life than just working in offices and decided to attend Gateway Community College. There, her professor and classmates recognized her as "person of the class for human services." She later transferred to Bridgeport University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in social services.

A few years later, Patty heard of the opening at Deer Run helping her students with language arts and math. It was there that Patty says she found her calling.

"What I do is give the kids the extra help they need. I teach all three grades [kindergarten and 1st- and 2nd grade] and my favorite is math. I absolutely love it because a lot of times kids won't get it right away and then they'll go, 'Oh, I get it now,'" she says. "I like to see that light bulb moment go off in their head. I love working with the kids."

While Patty educates the students four days a week on different subjects, she especially enjoys giving the youngsters encouragement and confidence in their day-to-day life.

"Deer Run is great because they do these nice little things for the kids. They give out tickets when a child says 'Thank you' or 'You're welcome' or does something nice without a problem," she explained. "It's a cool incentive for the kids-they get pencils or notebooks and that makes them proud because you're recognizing them for something nice they did."

In a little less than a decade, Patty has formed close relationships with her students and enjoys when she runs into a student and they come running up to her, shouting, "Mrs. Supowitz, Mrs. Supowitz!"

"It's those little things that make you feel good about your job," she says.

The children in Deer Run aren't the only little ones in Patty's life. When she isn't working, spending time with her husband, or reading, she takes time to care for her two grandchildren, Brady, 7, and Cooper, 4. The two live in North Haven and Patty feels blessed to be able to spend much time with the "cutest grandchildren in the world."

While the instructional aid has spent eight years making an impact on her student's lives, Patty believes the children have taught her more than she ever imagined.

"I've learned so much from this job. I was always with my own children, teaching them and trying to help them, but now I really feel I can understand how to educate a child and help them," she says. "That makes me feel good."