Schools Out for Summer

My Thoughts In June of 2017 When Leaving my Child Care Job:

Today was the last day of school at the elementary school I work Child Care at. I am so sad to be saying goodbye to these nuggets that have grown in my heart the past couple months. Although I’m sad about this time ending, it has been a great learning experience for me as well as a time of growth and renewal. You see, after the Winter 2017 semester and getting into two car accidents in the Michigan snow I was a little down and didn’t have as much pep in my step as I did at the start of my college career. Since the middle of April I’ve felt a wave of renewal crash onto my spirit and I have felt moments of pure happiness again. Many moments with those kids have helped me heal wounds I didn’t even know I had and allowed me to reform my concept of what a good life is.

One moment I’ll never forget was when one of my first grade friends was getting bullied for wearing glasses. He was crying and had already been having a bad day. My little buddy has some sensory and emotional needs and the whole situation was a lot to deal with. But I grabbed a bean bag, laid it on the floor and told him to sit on it and go to the safe space for a while. He then told me that kids were making fun of his glasses so I told him that I had glasses myself. I winked and said "I'll wear mine tomorrow." The next morning I walked in and said good morning to everyone like usual and a couple kids commented on my glasses and I explained that I just wore contacts most of the time. My friend ran up to me wrapping me in a bear hug and whispered “thank you Ms. Rachel, thank you” in my ear. That’s a moment of empathy that I’ll never forget.

I also know that I won’t forget all of the kindergarten girls and I making matching bracelets; teaching those little girls how to braid for the first time. Today was the last long walk through the halls of the school to the kindergarten and first grader wing and normally I give each one a  high five as they enter their classrooms but today they all piled in and gave me a hug with Lucas screaming “GROUP HUG!” and subsequently body slamming into me. It was the sweetest and most heartfelt thing I’ve ever experienced.

Between the stinkers turned sweetheart and the faithful helpers, I’ve enjoyed the experience of being a Child Care teacher for these kids. If anything, they’ve taught me more than anything I could have taught them. I’ve learned patience, love, patience, problem solving, patience, kindness, and PATIENCE. Oh how they have taught me to be more patient. These nuggets will stick with me for a while. I’ve gained so much more wisdom from these couple months in this Child Care position than I did in my entire first year of college. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the teaching profession to experience as much diversity in children as you can. Through this job I gained experience working with sweet five year old's to twelve year old's full of angst and ready for middle school. I got the privilege to work with kids who needed more attention and guidance and kids who helped me actually figure out what I needed to do. There is always a lot to be said about teaching and what the best advice/experiences are for future teachers. My advice is to find as many different types of children and spend time with them. Learn about their interest, notice their differences, and realize that each child is a unique in the way they see the world.