Restlessly Still

Restlessly Still

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Work and Marriage

The center is coming to the last week before summer vacation, and this has been an interesting year.  I had my evaluation done and I got positive marks for it =)  My interactions with the children has improved  I've become a stronger teacher over all.  I might get a master teacher job, if not than I will be a lead in the afternoons, and that is a step up from where I am now.  I have learned a lot from the children and my co-workers.  But the one thing that stood out to me is work is a lot like marriage, and here is a great example of what I mean.

I have a co-worker in my room that I adore.  She is a sweet person and is very helpful, but the one problem is that she does get too much.  My room got three children that are having really hard drop offs, and those three are my primary.  I'm trying to help and child and she would sweep in and then steps on my toes when I try to help my primary children.  I appreciate the help, but  I didn't need the help and if I did need help I would ask my master teacher to talk me through.  Because of her sweeping in on my children, they are now attach to her and they want nothing to do with me.

She also has no issue of telling on what I need to do.  It is always "Ashley go get this", "Ashley, get that", and "Ashley can do it".  Even if my hands are full with a child.  But when I asked if she can get me a tissue for a child and she acts like it is a big deal and how dare I ask her to do me a favor.  It was one time that she did this that really ticked me off was when it was my week to set up.  On the last day of my week I was doing a collage on sticky paper of flowers and bugs stickers because that was my theme.  She removed all my items that I had set up and replaced it with cut up pictures of animals (Like the week before activities that she set up).  And said "I don't think that was a good idea and that the animals would be better." 

Another thing that she gets a little much on is that she has an open schedule, so that means that she can sub and help out in other rooms.  But every time they call to see if she can help out she gets really mad about it.  Then she makes a big deal about it during her shift in our room.  I understand that when someone is tired, they are tired, but the time with the kids are with the kids.

One last thing is that she gets why too frustrated easily.  We and these three tubes out for the kids to play with, but also they had a hard time sharing and waiting their turn.  So a teacher needed to be there to supervise the children.  The master teacher was helping both a child and a lab student.  I was going to take the kids outside because they had so much energy. But before letting the kids out, I had to change a child's diaper.  As I was helping a child, she freaked out on the kids because they were fighting over the tubes and then just removed it from the room.  The master teacher told her that if she need to step out for a moment to let us know, and not take her frustration on the children.

She is a good person, but she does need a lot of things to work on.  I remember when I first started working at the center and the progression that I made.  I finally grew into a teacher that I'm proud of, and I need to step back and remember that I too was in her shoes and I should try to help her as much as I can. 


Word of advice:
Work is a lot like marriage that we have our ups and downs and that we need to pick and choose our battles and work on a lot of our issues to make it a better environment for everyone.


Thursday, April 25, 2013

Different hats

As you probably read in the past that I work in a child care center.  I'm a preschool teacher, but I don't count in the eyes of others.  When some stores when they offer a teacher discount and I ask about it and they will ask me if I was a teacher and where I work.  I told them that I work at the preschool at the local college, and then I get this look of that I don't qualify for the discount.  I also had one person tell me that I was not a teacher. 


I'm not a teacher?  Just because I work with younger children does not me that I am not a teacher.  I am teaching them how to interact with other children, to use their words, colors, abc's, 123's, and other things that they need to know before going into elementary school.  But that is only one of the many hats that I wear.

Here are my other hats:

I'm a teacher
I'm a yard supervisor
I'm a nurse
I'm a first responder
I'm a gardener
I'm a part time mommy
I'm a chef
I'm a waiter
I'm a musician
I'm a singer
I'm a actoress
I'm a story teller
I'm a  repair person
I'm a counselor
I'm a couch
I'm a pillow
I'm a tissue
I'm an art easel


I am a teacher and so much more!

Word advice:
Just because a person works with preschoolers and even younger doesn't mean that they are not teachers and that they are not teaching them something important.   Preschool teachers wear many hats.



Thursday, April 18, 2013

Master Teacher

One of the Master Teachers at the center is deciding that she is going to be leaving to live with her husband in Las Vegas.  I'm excited because I have everything ready to be a master teacher, and I have been waiting for this day to come!  But I'm nervous because I'm not the only one that is going for this job.  There is 15 people that are going to be applying for this position....15!!!!  I don't know who is all going for it but I do know of five others that are going to go for it.  I don't want to give out names, so I'm going to use first initial.  

S is one of the afternoon teachers in the orange room.  She is really good and has many ideas that are wonderful.  She is also a member in many organizations like NAEYC.  She is older than me and has been at the center about the same amount of time that I have been there.

A is in the morning pink room now and she is a very laid back, easy going people to work with.  She has already been doing the job for this master teacher that is leaving.   She is only slightly older than me and has a site supervisor permit.  And started working at the center a year after I did.

S is the afternoon purple room teacher and she has been at that center for a very long time.  She left out of the country to Korea for a little while and then return to us.  She is also a very good teacher to work with and she is very good with the kids.

E is an afternoon teacher in the red room.  She just started working with us last year, but she has worked in other centers and I think at one point she had her own home-daycare.


Lastly there is me.  I've been at the center for almost five years, I have my associates degree and a master teacher permit.  I'm pretty sure that I'm one of (if not the only one) youngest one going for the master teacher position.  I've worked with the babies before and I've worked with almost every master teacher at that center.  I'm asked for a bunch of people to write me a bunch of letters of recommendation (both parents and co-workers), and putting together my portfolio.

I'm going to apply and try for it and hope for the best.  This isn't going to be easy, but who ever gets the position is going to be great!  And the best of luck to anyone who gets it because we all worked hard for this moment.  I'm still going to work on getting my B.S degree in Child Development, and if I don't get the master teacher job then it just means that I'm meant for something else and that I need to work on being a elementary school teacher.   
 

Word of advice:

Even is something seems like it my be impossible to achieve, still go for it because who know the outcome and it would be a good learning experience

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Support

So as everyone notice on facebook that a lot of people who support gay marriages changed their pictures into the red "=", so they show their support.  Not everyone agrees with gay marriages and that is okay.  Everyone is entitled to their beliefs.  I'm not going to bash on people who don't agree with it because that is how they feel and believe and no one can, nor should take that away for them.  And the reverse should be the same too. 

What makes me mad a little more is that you bash on something silly as a picture to show support for something you don't agree with, but then your picture is showing support for another thing.  Calling someone an idiot for something that you did too is not cool. 

I don't agree that someone is an idiot for showing support just because you feel they are trying to change your mind on the issue.  I can not speak for everyone, but I did it to show my support for gay marriages because two people who are in love should be able to have that right.   The bible isn't the highest law of the land, but the Constitution. And remember that most of our founding fathers were atheist and wanted freedom of and from religion.

I'm not going to argue with this person because it isn't worth and that he too is entitled to his opinion, but I think he needs to realize that everyone else does too. 

Word advice:
Every one needs to check themselves before they wreck themselves ;)

But on a serious note:  Everyone is better off leaving their opinions to themselves.  Everyone has opinions and not everyone is going to agree with you, thus leading to stupid and pointless fights!

  

Saturday, February 16, 2013

A story of Lord Fancy Feast

This is a blog my boyfriend wrote and He said I can share this:

I am 23, almost 24 years old, and I am fighting depression. Every day, I have to fight the lethargy, the negativity, the urge to give in to my myriad of failures and give up. I fight the intense need to simply try to drink myself into an early grave. I have to put up with constant reminders of everything wrong I've done, simply because I have failed so many things that my every action these days is filled with them. I go to school, and I am reminded that I should have finished two years ago,yet I still have two to go. I look at my girlfriend, and I see the pain I caused her. I look at pictures from my past and I remember all the friends I gained and kept, who treated me like garbage, and the friends I lost who were as close to true compatriots as one can find in this life. I say 'I wish I had stayed in boy scouts' knowing it was my choice to quit. And every minute is a struggle to not break down and cry, and drain a dozen bottles of liquor dry.
But I fight. Because my girlfriend, despite everything, still loves me. Because my education, despite my failures, is not complete. Because I choose to live better, and be better, I fight. I am not depressed. I am not an alcoholic. I do not abuse drugs, or cut myself, or entertain thoughts of suicide. I am not depressed by any of my failures, because I refuse to make them again, and I will live in spite of them.
Thses days, I drink socially, with friends. The only pain is the sting of bb's, or the dull burn of a good exercise. I do not gorge myself with food, but relish every bite. I livein spite of my failures, and I live better because of them.
Others have hard lives, and refuse to bow. I could do no less, knowing they have worse, and none of it self-inflicted.All my failings are just that, self-inflicted. I caused them to happen, with poor judgement or lack of information.
No, the part that depresses me now is I see a fellow, one of my few true companions that I am proud to call friend, making the same mistakes. Heading down a similar path. And there is nothing I can do for him, because I know he will not listen if I tell him forcefully, yet without force the message will never be made. And so I tread lightly, trying to let him know that his mistakes are my own, and to learn from mine, so he does not feel the same sting.
But I am not depressed. Nor will I ever be. And I thank God for that saving grace, and my stubborn nature.
Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get that off my chest. It doesn't make much sense, looking back at it, I rambled too much. But it fits.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Valentine's day

Valentine's day is in a couple of days and I want to wish happy Valentine's day to my friends, my family, and my boyfriend.  Valentine's day is about love, and not just love for that one person that we want to sleep with, or to buy the gifts.  It is about love that you have for the people in your life!  I love my boyfriend very much, but he isn't the only person in my life.  I think people have a negative misleading thought about Valentine's day.  People think that they need to have a boyfriend/girlfriend to spend it with, but they don't.  It is about spending it with the people that you love. 

I have friends that I've known much longer than my boyfriend.  My friends have been there for me when I hit a big bump in the road in my life.  I turn to them when I can't turn to my family or my boyfriend.  My friends help me through school.  My friends help me get through work.  Either helping me get a job by being my reference, or helping me get the job done at work.  Lastly, they help keep me sane and always putting a smile on my face even when I'm feeling down.   I love my friends for everything they have done for me.

I love my family because they are the only people that knows me my entire life.  My family are the ones that taught me my morals and shaped me to the person that I am today.  Without them, I might be a horrible mean person that uses people to get what I want, sleep around with random guys and act like the victim.  Or I could be relying on a man to take care of me.  My family taught me to be independent, that I don't need anyone to take care of me, and push me to do great with my life.

I love my boyfriend.  I love that he can make me smile, he is my best friend, he keeps me grounded when I feel like my world is spiraling out of control.  I'm a control freak and if something isn't going the way I want it to then I freak out and panic.  My boyfriend helps calm me down and makes me relax.  Most importantly he sees beyond my imperfections and still choose to be with me. 

I agree that Valentine's day is commercialized and that love shouldn't be celebrated on one day out of the year (twice if  you count Christmas).  But I think it helps people to put away whatever feelings of hate and to love the people that they have around them.  When I see people complaining about couples on Valentine's day it does bug me.  Because they are too bitter to love the people that they have in their life because they think that it is about having someone to buy gifts for, or receiving gifts. 

At my work, we can't really teach the kids holidays, but we find loop-holes in everything, so all is good!  But around Valentine's day we do the hearts, the Valentine's day colors, but we also talk about friendship and the different types of love we have for each other. 


Word of advice:

Valentine's day is more than love for a person that is your significant other, but for the other people in your life!  It isn't a commercial holiday for couples to buy stuff, but a day to stop and be glad for the rest of the awesome people in our lives (Friends and family).  We need to change the way we look at this holiday!


Friday, February 1, 2013

I don't get it?

I don't get it?  There are two girls that are "best friends".   One of the girls is one of thoes that needs to have a boyfriend, or her life is not worth living.  she made a post of a qoute saying that love is kind, love is....so on and so on.....She tags a few friends and her boyfriend.  On of the girls that she tag I guess took it the  wrong way.

The girl that was tagged starts to tell her off about that it was stupid, a wast of her time, and that she had been in a relationship for a year.  Also accusing her of being a "kiss ass".  The girl that made the post tells the other girl that the post wasn't just about love and relationships, but also friendship.

I don't understand anymore.....I agree that love should be in person and I can understand why anyone could be upset by it.   But I also understand that she was trying to share on her insight.

Another use to be friends is two people that I work with.  K liked this one guy and went out, but nothing more than friends.  He found out that K is friends with this girl, T.  T and this guy has been friends since jr. high.  They started talking more and soon started dating.  K was upset abd hurt, and I get it.   But now she is being very childish and giving dirty looks to T.

Word of advice:  Communication is key to any relationship...romantically or friendship....