With the help of my parents I made the huge decision to apply for an Instructional Assistant position at an elementary school in a program for students with social/emotional/behavioral issues.
I knew this was the responsible thing to do, I needed something with benefits that would allow me to save for the future.
I was offered the position, and of course accepted it. This was going to be a great position for me, a smart move financially, as well as a great experience that could open more doors for me in the future.
The MAJOR negative to accepting this position was that I’d no longer be able to nanny for my girls after school. The timing wouldn’t work out, there was just no way I’d be able to make it to their house in time to get them off the bus.
My heart was completely broken at just the thought of not seeing them nearly every day as I had for the past seven and a half years. During my time with my girls, I’d formed incredible bonds with each of them and I truly love them.
When the day came for their parents and I to tell them that I wouldn’t be nannying for them anymore, my stomach was in knots and I was fighting off tears all day. (I have tears now as I write this remembering that day).
I was able to talk just long enough to tell them what I would be doing and why I wouldn’t be able to be there in the afternoons anymore. Then the crying began; first L started and at that point I was immediately unable to hold back my tears anymore. E then began to cry, and by the end all 5 of us were either crying or quietly wiping away tears.
It’s now 5 months later and we’re all pretty well adjusted to our new normal. I think the saving grace for me is that I work the before school program from 7-8:30, then my IA position from 8:45-3:10, followed by the extended day program from 3:15-6. Doing that five days a week keeps me very busy. I still miss my girls everyday and I’m still sad that I’m not with them. Although, it makes the times that I do see them even more special. Whether it’s watching L cheer at the football game, watching E play for one of her hockey teams, taking them out to do something, or just stopping by to visit, and of course babysitting whenever they need it!
So that brings us to now. Tomorrow school starts up again after February vacation this past week. I worked the extended day vacation program, so only had a slight break myself.
I really do enjoy what I’m doing. There are certainly times when it is stressful and you’re dealing with things that would NEVER occur in a regular ed. classroom. But I also know that if I worked in a regular ed. classroom I would be bored to tears! I feel like I’m well suited for this position and that it is also well suited for me.
Sometimes no matter how necessary change may be, it still brings heartache. Life forces us to move on, but it doesn’t force us to never look back. I often find myself wishing for more hours in the day so that I can see my girls more, but thanks to iPhones and iPads we can at least text and FaceTime each other. I know that I’m extremely blessed that E and L's parents consider me family and that I can still be a part of their lives.
Now excuse me while I go wipe my tears away and blow my nose. I promise I won’t take 7 months to write/post my next blog!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Time for Some Background Info! (Part 1)
I can’t believe it’s been almost 7 months since my last blog post! Whoops!!
Well I was looking back through my posts and realized that other than my AP, I haven’t given a whole lot of background information.
So I’ll start with that.
I'm currently 30 years old. In 2008 I started going to school part time for my associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. While working towards my degree, I worked full time at a daycare center. Mostly in the infant room, but sometimes in the toddler room as well. After a year and a half at this center I realized that while I loved the kids, I was no longer happy at this particular center. (The best thing that came out of that job was an amazing friendship with a mother whose son came to us as an infant. 10 years later and she is still one of my best friends!)
I started looking and quickly came across a position I felt was better suited to me. A childcare center about 5 minutes away from me was looking for someone to co-teach in one of their toddler rooms. I applied and got the job! I was still taking classes online part time when I began working at this newer and much nicer childcare center. I had been there for about a year and half when I realized that working in a childcare center, specifically a corporate owned one, was not what I wanted to be doing. However, I knew, as I’ve known my whole life, that I wanted to work with children.
There was one adorable little girl, E, who had been in my class the entire time I was at the center and I absolutely fell in love with her right away...from my first day meeting her at 19/20 months I knew I was going to like her. Aside from being adorable, she was wicked smart, had a great sense of humor, was a leader and was a bit spunky! I had E in the toddler class I first started working in and then about a year later when it was time for the kids to move up to the next age group classroom, I was also moved up. So E was then in my Transitional Toddler class (kids who are too young to start preschool, but too old for the typical toddler classroom).
My time in the Transitional class is what really convinced me that I was done working for a corporate childcare center. I was there for the kids, but it felt like the directors were constantly on me to keep up with and follow company curriculum. It was way too schedule based and regimented, which is absolutely not my philosophy when it comes to childcare.
I was planning on giving my notice to the center even though I didn’t have anything else lined up. I just knew I had to get out of that environment.
At this time E’s mom was about 4 months pregnant with baby #2. So I went out on a limb, unsure if what I was about to do was even allowed, but also not really caring since I was planning on giving my notice anyway. I sent E’s mom a message on Facebook asking if she had ever considered a nanny for E and the new baby rather than daycare.
Well, I sent that message on 2/7/11 at 4:16pm and at 6:52pm that same day I had a response. She and her husband had in fact been going over their options for when the baby came, one that they were really considering was a nanny. E’s mom even thought of mentioning it to me, but wasn’t sure if I was wanting to leave the childcare center. Of course I wanted to! I gave my notice to the center, and they gave their notice to the center that E would be leaving.
In April of that year I officially became their nanny and was absolutely loving it. Things only got better on 7/22/11 when E’s sister, L was born!
I was E and L's full time nanny from 2011 until September of 2016 when L started full day kindergarten. I then became their part time, after school nanny until September of 2018.
The girls were getting older and didn’t need me as much anymore, but the cost of living was only increasing!
Well I was looking back through my posts and realized that other than my AP, I haven’t given a whole lot of background information.
So I’ll start with that.
I'm currently 30 years old. In 2008 I started going to school part time for my associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. While working towards my degree, I worked full time at a daycare center. Mostly in the infant room, but sometimes in the toddler room as well. After a year and a half at this center I realized that while I loved the kids, I was no longer happy at this particular center. (The best thing that came out of that job was an amazing friendship with a mother whose son came to us as an infant. 10 years later and she is still one of my best friends!)
I started looking and quickly came across a position I felt was better suited to me. A childcare center about 5 minutes away from me was looking for someone to co-teach in one of their toddler rooms. I applied and got the job! I was still taking classes online part time when I began working at this newer and much nicer childcare center. I had been there for about a year and half when I realized that working in a childcare center, specifically a corporate owned one, was not what I wanted to be doing. However, I knew, as I’ve known my whole life, that I wanted to work with children.
There was one adorable little girl, E, who had been in my class the entire time I was at the center and I absolutely fell in love with her right away...from my first day meeting her at 19/20 months I knew I was going to like her. Aside from being adorable, she was wicked smart, had a great sense of humor, was a leader and was a bit spunky! I had E in the toddler class I first started working in and then about a year later when it was time for the kids to move up to the next age group classroom, I was also moved up. So E was then in my Transitional Toddler class (kids who are too young to start preschool, but too old for the typical toddler classroom).
My time in the Transitional class is what really convinced me that I was done working for a corporate childcare center. I was there for the kids, but it felt like the directors were constantly on me to keep up with and follow company curriculum. It was way too schedule based and regimented, which is absolutely not my philosophy when it comes to childcare.
I was planning on giving my notice to the center even though I didn’t have anything else lined up. I just knew I had to get out of that environment.
At this time E’s mom was about 4 months pregnant with baby #2. So I went out on a limb, unsure if what I was about to do was even allowed, but also not really caring since I was planning on giving my notice anyway. I sent E’s mom a message on Facebook asking if she had ever considered a nanny for E and the new baby rather than daycare.
Well, I sent that message on 2/7/11 at 4:16pm and at 6:52pm that same day I had a response. She and her husband had in fact been going over their options for when the baby came, one that they were really considering was a nanny. E’s mom even thought of mentioning it to me, but wasn’t sure if I was wanting to leave the childcare center. Of course I wanted to! I gave my notice to the center, and they gave their notice to the center that E would be leaving.
In April of that year I officially became their nanny and was absolutely loving it. Things only got better on 7/22/11 when E’s sister, L was born!
I was E and L's full time nanny from 2011 until September of 2016 when L started full day kindergarten. I then became their part time, after school nanny until September of 2018.
The girls were getting older and didn’t need me as much anymore, but the cost of living was only increasing!
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