So, I was diving deeper into my blog account just now and found this lovely little gem that should have been my first blog but apparently I never finished. Typical :) I'm posting it now just for fun. Oh what a difference a year and a half can make, man oh man.
"Yesterday morning... ahhhh... it felt good, no it felt invigorating to be out trying to get a job. I've been home for the last 4 and a half years being a mom and running my in home child care. But with the economy the way it is, big bad day care is cheaper than smaller in home settings and my waiting list quickly shrank to zero almost as fast as my current clientele's mass exit. So, it's back to the trenches for me! And I'm thrilled to be going back! But where does a former teacher who has an expired teaching license from a different state find a job in the middle of the school year? Better yet, where does a former Elementary School teacher find a job when she wants to teach Preschool, which is a different degree all together? My first thought was that I can substitute teach, ugh, until the end of the school year while getting all my certifications up to date for the fall. Not the most desirable situation, but it's work. And then I thought of Head Start.... an organization that is just cool to its very core. If you are not familiar, look it up, it truly is wonderful. So after some investigating I discover Head Start has 1 Teacher position that they are currently wanting to fill... application submitted!
Yesterday I got dressed in my black slacks and grey turtleneck sweater, my new favorite outfit, threw on the black beads and worried that I might be over dressing for an agency that helps low income families. I thought to myself, "I'll get there a little early and watch people go in, if they are not dressed up, I will lose the beads." Grabbed my new favorite purse, it's purple :) and took my daughter to school on the way to my interview, which in and of itself felt great since I never get to take her to school. After dropping off the kiddo, I decided I definitely had time for Starbucks... Grande Non Fat Vanilla Latte with only two pumps of Vanilla in my purple travel coffee mug, please! So now I'm feeling good, ready to sell myself to the Head Start people!
I get there and the interview went great! They loved that I have been running a child care in my home, but most people are amazed by that, not to toot my own horn.... you know what, no I think I will toot away! Taking care of other people's children is hard work and I have to say I rock at it. I can change a diaper a minute, yes I timed myself once... when you're the only adult at home all day, you think of things like that, don't judge me :) I can sing any kiddie song you can think of, I know all the Backyardigans characters and love them, I can get any child to take a nap and like it, and I know the importance of getting on the floor and letting the kids climb all over you every once in a while. Ok, back to the interview...."
And that's all I wrote for that entry. This was last year, January of 09. Well, I got the job and then began 4 of hardest months of my life. I didn't know at the time, but this particular classroom full of kids had already managed to run off 2 full time teachers and countless assistants. Now, I can't blame that all on the kids, they were pretty awful but the supervisor, whose office was actually in the classroom, was the WORST boss I have ever had in my life. She hated me the moment she laid eyes on me and made my working days miserable. I lived for the days when she went to another facility and I had the freedom to be the teacher. I would pull my car into the parking lot each day praying hers wasn't. She was horrible. However, she didn't know who she was dealing with, a damn fine teacher who loves the difficult kids because they are more fun, who cared for them genuinely, and didn't want them to think another teacher had quit on them... add that to the fact that I'm incredibly stubborn and knowing that it chapped her ass that I wasn't going to leave gave me all the fuel I needed. I know it may seem petty and childish, but it does make me hold my head a little higher knowing that Ms. Piggee (yes it's pronounced "Piggy", I dare you not to giggle when you say that out loud) didn't win. Or as my 92 year old grandmother said when I told her about my poor excuse for a superior "Did you say Moi?!"
