Yes, here we are. Finally! Every blog I’ve read and every vlog I’ve watched have told me my website should take about an hour to set up. It took me a month, but I digress. Guess who isn’t tech savy? It’s all good though, I did it on my own! My job in early childhood thankfully doesn’t require me to know anything on the subject except youtube for my morning circle time. I’ve got that down like a champ. I always find it interesting that my generation (GenX) grew up without it, yet so many of us make a living off of it. I am surrounded by friendly resources if needed, sorry, when needed.
I have been in early childhood education for over 26 years and have always wanted to write a book on some of my experiences. I decided to start this blog for the time being. I feel with all of the other things life has thrown at me, I needed a platform where I could express more than just my tricks of the trade. What better place than this. Here, I am not limited to one topic and that is excellent news for you, the reader😆. Like you, I have had the high highs and the low lows. I figured no time like the present to get this thing going. What do I have to lose? I have my husband, I have my son, I have my friends and thankfully my family, my health and my job. Oh, wait, my job. The job that has given me the knowledge to even begin this blog. The job that I pretty much grew up with, that one, well, it’s closing.
My director is ready to retire and the business is closing. She earned it. She built an amazing and successful business, but it is a tough one. It isn’t playing with children all day. Those of you here that have taught little ones know there is more to it than people realize. Well, teaching in general is hard, too many emotions let alone the actual teaching, but when you mention a daycare or preschool, most think, oooh a glorified babysitter. NOPE! More on that later. My point being, I understand why she is ready to retire, but here I am, scared. This is why I chose this time. A blog? A journal? A complaint report? All of the above.
So I will be out of a job in due time. The thought of starting over at 44 worries me. What worries me even more is, do I want to continue in this field? I’m unsure. I’m no kid, and 26 years is a long time. Now that I have a son of my own, I would like to redirect my patience to him and my household. Maybe this time in between jobs will bring back the old me? I’m just exhausted. I travel out of state every day and my poor son is along for the ride. I of course put him in an RC school up the street from my place of business. I wanted to be close to him if he needed me. But the traffic, oh my. It’s not as far as it sounds, but those of you that are familiar with NYC gridlock know what I’m talking about. So he is ok with changing schools due to 2.5 hours a day in the car. All in all, I know this is the right move, but I haven’t fully accepted it yet. I am almost there. I have registered him near home officially this past week. It is better for sports and playdates.
To get back to what I was saying in the last paragraph, it’s hard work. Through the many years of teaching, there have been so many changes. The techniques we used in 1997 are quite different than those used in 2024. Which is why when I say “old school is the best school”, I kind of know what I’m talking about. Not everyone will agree with me and that’s fine, but those of you that do, you aren’t alone. Work me and home me are not the same. To paraphrase Tony Soprano “out there it’s 2024, but in here it’s 1996”. So maybe it is time to shake things up a little. I hope you stay with me on my journey to find out!
