Career: The Longest Two Weeks Ever

 Hey Divas! Happy Sunday! Your favorite diva is here and it's another day of work. Next weekend I'm off and I have some projects I’m working on, and next Saturday will be booked with much needed me time getting hair done (three hours) followed by lunch with my friend Tori and laptop shopping. (Looking for an HP that’s not expensive; send me your recs)! Spring is here and I'm excited. Yesterday I ran into a co-worker whom I haven't seen in awhile. He saw me and didn't recognize me at first due to my weight loss. He said I looked like I was glowing (the things that happen when you end toxic relationships). Said glow continues and I couldn't be happier with life.New job new life new me. Gym day tomorrow (walking around the store is exercise on weekends) and I'm looking forward to it. 

Something else changed too. My last couple of blogs spoke of a situation at work that was both stressful and tiresome. This position started two weeks ago and while it feels as though I've been there longer it has been the equivalent of two years or so it appears. During my entire career I have never experienced any situation like the one I have had for the last two weeks nor have I ever dealt with this much drama. 

I'm all for a parent doing what they believe is best for their child and I would never criticize a parent for doing so. If I notice a parent doing something that I feel their child may or may not be interested in (potty training before they are ready is a prime example) I'll point out what I have observed and continue to support the parent in all ways possible. What I experienced within the last two weeks was a parent doing what was best for her child and I supported that yet what I also saw was inconsistent along with something that may not help the child in the long run. 

The other thing I saw was a staff member taking advantage of the owners along with the directors and the entire staff. I felt as though both myself and my co-teacher were taken advantage of by this parent and we had a spotlight on us. Said staff member was a parent in my room who worked near her classroom door so she could come into our room when she heard her baby cry. This made for a difficult work day, since she was constantly peeking into the classroom. Her child, an older infant, would sit next to the door and cry, largely because she knew her mom would come to her. There were days things went smoothly, yet for the most part I felt like we, both myself and my co teacher, were bullied to a degree. Add the short notice that this person had to leave by a certain time, giving directors virtually little time to prepare by having adequate staffing in place plus the fact that she spent more time on her phone then she did doing her job, the fact she left her class unattended to take her trash out, along with the situation she started by confronting staff members about her leaving her class unsupervised and you have and interesting situation.  

The children suffered the most, due to lack of appropriate activities, consistency and time devoted to them. Routine and consistency are important in the lives of children and it’s how they learn to trust the adults in their lives. 

When she left on Friday, a relief came over the center as a whole. I sat in the toddler room, the room I used to occupy and took a deep breath. That classroom looked and felt different, like a breath of fresh air. As I moved things around, I felt the same thing. Gone was the drama, the sadness, the intimidation and the bully. Wishing someone to get fired from their job is not a good thing, and I would never wish that on anyone. However, given the circumstances, this needed to happen. The children were getting nothing from being in that classroom. It was almost like she was being paid to be a parent taking care of her own child and ignoring the needs of the children in her classroom.

From the classroom I was in, I could see the meeting taking place. I couldn’t hear what was being said, and it was not my business. She agreed things were not working out and left. When she walked out with her belongings and baby in tow, we all felt a sigh of relief. The road took her somewhere else. Where we don’t know, but the road took her there. 

After she left, both of my bosses came in, with a look of happiness on their faces. The assistant director was beaming. My boss said, “go to your classroom”. I hugged her and said “thank you.” She gave me a quick run down of what she wanted to see, both as a director and parent with a child in that classroom. 

I can’t wait to see the looks on the childrens’ faces, one of whom described me to his parents as “ ‘the best teacher’ “. 

She told me to go to my room. They said don’t run the halls. I did as I was told and ran anyway. 

With crayons and love, 

Dani