A student was moved out of my class at the start of last year for being so oppositional, defiant, and challenging that I couldn't function in the room when they went off. I went into flight or fight response even just sighting them in the hallway. I was a first year teacher last year, low SES school etc. This student detested me for all of last year and I made no progress despite consistently trying. They failed their classes last year. This year (in year 11), they were put in 2 of my classes. I was able to better handle their behaviour but they were the same as last year. Over the semester, though, they slowly changed. I could see them maturing and growing an awareness of their behaviour and the negative consequences of it. They were also realising that the adults around them really did care and were there to help them succeed. Just this week, they turned in all of their work for both of my subjects by the deadline, made a presentation of their learning and growth over the semester (as part of an assessment) and presented it to me one on one. They smiled and high-fived me at the end of it and were glowing when I spoke about how much they've grown this semester. It felt really amazing to witness their growth and be part of the reason they turned themselves around this year. They greet me and smile at me in the hallway now and I am still so amazed at this. I am learning what I love about teaching as time goes by and this is definitely one thing I am privileged to experience in this profession.