Hi! I volunteer at The Learning Place in Dumont... these are my educational, and sometimes funny, experiences as a teacher. I post every Wednesday and Thursday, so bookmark this page & come back for more teachable moments anytime..
The Daycare Warrior
ALL THESE FINAL THINGS ARE CHIPPING AWAY AT MY BRAIN
But hi everybody! :) Two hours today, and yes I spent more time looking after Pri. <3 I actually found myself looking forward to walking her up and down the street because it (this might sound weird but it’s true) releases stress for me. It takes the focus of my brain away from “omg you have three final projects and things to remember and schedules to change and planes to catch and battles to fight”. It calms me down because I’m forced to step outside my own head and take care of Pri. I focus entirely on her being happy, or at least quiet. But Miss Gail brought up a good point today; she doesn’t really like the fact that I’ve been letting Pri get so attached to me… she made a really good point, she’s not going to stop crying if A) I’m not there, aka tomorrow; or B) she won’t learn to be independent from somebody when she cries. I agree with that a lot, but I’m only there two days a week and her FACE is SO SAD. D: But yeah.
On another (unrelated) note, if any Option Two people know what they’re doing for their project can you share some ideas? I don’t want to copy or anything, I just kind of need a kick in the brain because I’m lost on what to do. I was thinking of doing a slideshow of pictures (of the teachers, kids, and actual building) and explaining how the class system works, what it’s like, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve realized (as far as what I want in a career after this experience).
If you have any ideas, let me know! I’ll try to help you guys out too! :)
Namaste~ :) <3
(Source: ramenjesus, via hot-leaf-juice)
^^ Not sarcasm. 1 hour and 40 minutes of my 2 hour daycare run today was spent walking up and down Madison Ave, consoling the inconsolable tiny child known as Priya. Priya is Niisha’s younger sister, she’s about one or two, and she is ATTACHED to Niisha. Priya was hysterical since Miss Aimee walked in at like nine that morning. She kept repeating the same Hindi phrases over and over :( so we went in the back yard first, and I carried her and tried to sing at her (spoiler alert, it only worked for a little bit) and then I pushed her in the stroller outside up and down the street. It was so cute, she quieted down and I felt so accomplished x3
And every person that drove by that saw us… gave us this horrendously shocked or dirty look! Everybody thought Priya was my mixed race daughter O.O The best though was when I was walking and I saw my friend Juan… he came over to us and we walked together for a bit. Juan is really tan and we looked like a little teenage family… needless to say the dirty looks greatly increased. I stared down everybody who stared at me though. Let them judge, like if they’re not aware enough to even notice that there’s a daycare center RIGHT WHERE I’M WALKING… hooo. It’s ridiculous. I really don’t care what other people think :) Froyo, gente.
I never care what people think of me. Let them judge :)
Goodnight, everyone~! Talk to you tomorrow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8&ob=av2e
I’m really sorry I forgot to post, everybody! :o Here’s my favorite song as recompense. I hope you all had a great weekend :)
Well now that daycare was three days ago, it went alright! xD The kids misbehaved a little bit, but nothing too bad. Surprisingly, Chris was the most talktative one.. he’s two and he’s also big bad Ben’s little brother, so I was a little shocked that he was the one talking. Little Shawnie got sent home sick (earlier in the day, I didn’t get to see him) and big Sean was acting out SO MUCH. Miss Aimee and I figured he was starting to feel sick too. :/ I feel guilty saying this but I was kind of glad to leave that day… Honestly, I LOVE coming here, but I’m itching for summer. (Aren’t we all.) I have to start my college apps, and I have to somehow get my mom to let me get a (TINY) nose piercing. ;) Also, I really would like to hear back from the Borough Hall; I would absolutely LOVE to be a counselor. I need a job so desperately. xD
Before I leave, I’d like to leave some well-intentioned albeit unrelated advice. Save your spare change. I saved mine for like 6 months and I went to the coinstar machine today, and guess who’s $87.94 richer? THIS BLOGGER.
Alright, have a good week everyone :) Talk to you all Wednesday~!
(Source: carefree13)
^^This is how I felt after today, except I started my vegetarian-ism Monday so replace the steak with like a block of tofu. I actually didn’t have a good day at daycare today; between Sean and Sarah I wanted to just scream x____x I actually was screaming at them, admittedly, but they WERE. NOT. LISTENING. It was beyond frustrating because they would LOOK RIGHT AT ME AND DO THE THING I WAS SCREAMING AT THEM NOT TO DO. Like what the hell!?!? It was beyond beyond beyond frustrating, and I just… ugh. I wanted to just scream. They were doing it on purpose!!! And being realistic here, they lack discipline at home so that’s why they’re such… aughh. And I know each day isn’t going to go perfectly, but I got home and was really sad and frustrated. Also I’m stressed about the SATs, progress reports, just grades in general… (deep breath) I can do this. :) Life just takes patience, I suppose.
And yes, I know steak tofu isn’t my only friend. ;D
Happy weekend everyone, I think we all need it. (raises non-alcoholic drink)
(Source: p0cahontus, via xylemish)
Hi everyone! I just got back from the TLC recognition/graduation ceremony! :D I’m so proud of all the kids, and the mentors too. I’m so glad I got to be a part of that program.
Daycare today (while seeming like it happened a million years ago) was good; there was a LOT of them today though. The average is between 16 and 24 kids; there were 23 today. Shawnie was so … ugh. He always misbehaves. It should just be implied from now on that he does. Sarah, as soon as Miss Gail leaves, starts whining and not listening and generally being super annoying. I know its cruel to say but she just REFUSES to listen. -_- speaking of Miss Gail, we bonded again today :) <3 She told me one of her daughters went to TCNJ and the other went to Montclair. Even just talking about The College Search makes me super excited, I’m really starting to solidify my plans for my future~.
OH AND DR PARENT I COULDN’T FIND YOU TODAY SO I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I PUT YOU DOWN AS A REFERENCE FOR A SCHOLARSHIP I FILLED OUT… IF I’M A SEMIFINALIST YOU’LL GET AN EMAIL ON MAY 17TH… Okay just lettting you know :)
And they were all talking….who wouldn’t, with instigators like Sarah (dropped off at 7.00 each morning) and Raima (dropped of at 7.30 each morning)?? I mean, they’re there for 11 hours…high school isn’t even that long! Miss Aimee even said “their parents don’t work for 11 hours..” like what. O_O RAISE YOUR OWN KIDS!! When I have a child one day, I’m going to raise him/her by myself! Well with my family helping me as much as they want to, but I’m not going to rely on them to raise my children.
I start to rant every time I talk about any sort of injustice to my kids. I care about them so much… <3 They’ve really touched my life and I hope I did the same for them. I’m definitely crying at their graduation. I love them.
Well I’m going to go panic about the SATs on Saturday, my concert next week, my English paper due next week, and my grades in general.
NIGHT!
(via beachybeauty)
Happy (almost) Friday, faithful readers :) I went for two hours today. I don’t know if the kids can sense me sensing that time is almost up, but I feel like they’re all getting super attached to me <3 I was sitting next to Ryan with my knees halfway up to my chest, and he just randomly leaned over and kissed my leg. I was like “I NEED TO APPRECIATE AND SAVOR AND ABSORB EVERY SINGLE MOMENT I HAVE WITH THESE CHILDREN I LOVE THEM ALL OMG.”
Olivia used the potty today and when she came back we had a conversation that made me laugh SO much.
Olivia: I used the potty!
Me: Good job! I’m proud of you!
Olivia: Yeah! (in the world’s loudest whisper) I DID POOPY.
Me: Oh wow.. uhh.. good job, you’re such a big girl now..
Olivia: (makes tiny diamond with fingertips) It was a little poopy though.
I love them all. Even when they misbehave. SPEAKING OF MISBEHAVING……Big Sean was SO. BAD. today. He tore his nap-mat, and Miss Aimee had to fix it with duct tape. ((I fixed my sneakers with duct tape the other day so I was like “I put that stuff on everything!”)) Then he wouldn’t stop talking, and just UGH. Little Shawnie got put at the table, and he was like talking to himself for nearly the whole time O-O
In happier news, little Joe walked today without holding on to anything!! I got all sentimental. But then I laughed because he walks like a foot-tall drunk xD I love him! Well actually I love all of them.
Well adios everyone, have a good weekend! :) I’m visiting William Patterson on Saturday!
Chem test next week, wish me luck! This dimensional analysis stuff is killing me.
(Source: synodik, via beachybeauty)
Who remembers Mister Rogers?????? I smiled then cried when I saw this.
So hi again! I had the college fair today, it was really fun. TCNJ, Kean, and Ramapo are starting to look great :D Kean has the 5 year Master program, which I actually want. I want my Doctorate one day soooo…. Go hard or go home.
Daycare was good today; I think Hunter has one of those little-boy crushes on me x3 he kept hugging me and sitting next to me. It’s adorable, lol. Raima needs to stop being so … excitable; she tries to hug me but winds up choking me D: big Sean is kind of a terror, he has super bad anger issues. And he pouts so severely… It’s hilarious but still.
Shawnie freaked me out today; I think something’s a little… off with him. He throws himself on the floor when we tell him to sit, and he kept yelling today in short little bursts for like 15 - 20 minutes straight. It was kind of scary because he just looked like there was something wrong. :(
I can’t believe my time here is almost done… I know it’s going to be a while til the end of the year, but just… wow. This whole year went fast. At the beginning of this blog, I had no idea where I wanted to go to college, my major was (for the most part) undecided, I didn’t even know how to take an SAT, I didn’t have the bond I do now with my daycare kids… wow. This year kind of slipped by. I know the majority of this post isn’t daycare-related, but I felt like sharing. Personal growth is the BEST. I have more news though— my practice SAT test (for my SAT prep class) scores went from a 1330, to a 1700, to either a 1790 or an 1800!!!!! :D
My Requirements for College.
- a 5-year Master program, because I want a head start on my Doctorate.
- I have to be able to major in Psychology or (obviously) Elementary Ed. It doesn’t make sense to me to major in like English or Math. Will I be teaching English or Math to first-graders? False.
- Everything has to be on-campus- none of that driving back and forth bullsquat. (cough, cough) Centenary college…
- Not too expensive.
- Relatively close-by.
- Good dorms. (cough, cough) Fairleigh….
- SCHOLARSHIPS PLEASE.
- Dance and singing as extracurriculars (extra points if it counts towards my credits) (infinite extra points if they have open practice rooms)
(Source: whycantiholdallthesefeels, via arielle-says)
Hi everyone! Prom fever is full-blown now. Just sharing.
Two hours today, as usual :) Sarah was SUPER bad today… I wasn’t there for this but Miss Aimee said Sarah ran away from her when she was given a time-out. It’s kind of appalling, actually… I know I say this in a lot of my posts but I literally was not able to even dream of doing anything even remotely disobedient. If I ever acted the way Sarah does… I swear to you my fear alone, if harnessed, could power New York City for a month. It’s kind of scary the lack of fear in kids these days. I feel like (and I know this sounds horrible..) because of their lack of fear & respect for authority, they’ll be able to do bad things later in life. Maybe it’s the psychologist in me, but still- think about that for a second.
Luke got mad at me today and called me mean, because I told him to stop playing with rocks. It made me kind of sad, but today I also realized this kid has severe anger issues…
Which kind of (not really) brings up another issue that’s current and that I’m curious about— are kids today being too cuddled and babied? I personally think they are. Just because most parents these days think that bringing up their child is not only their responsibility but the grandparents’ as well. If you have a child, they are YOUR responsibility. Don’t dump them on their grandparents, because they’re going to grow up without you. My parents were (still are) always there for me and involved in my life, and I think I turned out pretty well. Lol. Most of the parents and their children underestimate the value of eating dinner… together… without a TV in the background… and actually talking about everybody’s day. For some families, this is a foreign concept. I find that extremely sad because I’m very close with my parents, and we always eat dinner together (except when my dad is at work.)
Call me old-fashioned.
Goodnight! I’ll try and post like one prom pic so you can all see. Namaste :) <3
(Source: wewalkamongstthestars)
