Nurturing our spirit as educators is the neglected heart of professional development. The work of early childhood teachers is hard, with insufficient pay and a lack of recognition. There is a misunderstanding by the public of what is needed to sustain a teacher's vision amidst the daily grind of this profession. In this article I propose four interconnected ways in which we can reclaim and nurture the spirit needed to teach. First, we need to uncover what image of the child (Rinaldi, 1998) drives our engagement in children's learning and fashions our approach to teaching. Next, I consider how the spirit to teach is nurtured through being creatively engaged in the invention of the curriculum in your own classroom. Third, taking thoughtful risks that push the boundaries of one's experience is explained as critical to teacher growth and creativity (Jones& Nimmo, 1999). And finally, I argue that the building of community amongst educators,families, and the local neighbourhood is critical to providing the resources needed to fuel an ongoing commitment to teaching