the Dreaded Monday Tuesday

the once dreaded Monday Tuesday, when a day off caused almost more problems than it was worth. But in the classroom it was not nearly as bad as when I was wearing a different hat. With different duties.

I must continue to remind myself that I am the new kid on the block going on day 4, where the next"newest" employee has been there "only" 3 years. this is one of the reasons I chose this center to go to when my position was eliminated. I wanted to see my director's style. how she was able to get it all done. and have such long term staff. she is also very knowledgeable in the field and famous among the other directors for getting things done, and coming up with different and easier ways to do things.

There were two other centers that were a possibility for me to join.But this is the one I chose. 
As is my way, I do not fit in very well at all. some of it I can blame on still seeing many things through a directors eyes. but most of it must be blamed on my basic personality. For I am~~~ An Acquired taste.

For instance, I do not like that staff is constantly snacking on cakes, and tasty bits of things they have all brought in for each other......IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN! A two edged sword there. Obviously the staff all like one another and enjoy sharing and cooking for one another. But the company and the food program both have dozens of "rules" in place and reasons for not doing these things.
It is almost like the employee I had who would actually bring porkchops from her dinner the night before, in her purse! So she could eat the meal in the classroom. she often "shared" with the children. which is worse than eating in front of them. Especially since these were toddlers! That staff member would not sign out to eat. she wanted her chop and to be paid while eating it!!!!

all in the column called picking your battles at the "new center". Sure you have been here 10 years. but you follow very few rules.
On the plus side, I see my director getting in and getting things done. She doesn't wait around. she does it... of course I could blame the difference in our ages. she was born the year I graduated high school! She is a go getter type personality. 
I do admire her ability to mop up the water a negligent teacher didn't notice was pouring onto the floor because a pre schooler plugged the sink.
No, had that been me as director, the teacher would've been a mopping and scrubbing!The teacher being the one who dropped the supervision ball! yet perhaps I am splitting hairs.
The director speaks to all and asks questions. she waits for the answer. she stood on my sink counter to play a silly joke on an employee today/ The Director in me saw it as horse play. Yet, I also envied the easy going personality that it came from!

So I continue to learn and observe. Hoping to learn some new tricks. Hoping to learn more about myself as a supervisor. A human being. 
I must remind myself daily, I am new here. and I can not just come in and demand it my way. the by the rules way. I am not here to change anyone but myself. to LEARN something helpful to myself.

Monday night already!

Already I begin to feel like the child whose weekend has flown away much too quickly! And it was a 3 day week end no less!! It is almost time to return to the work week. A whole different work week than I am accustom to. Because I am no longer the head of a child care center, but a very important cog in the daycare machinery! I am the group leader to a group of almost 20 children in transition. Just as I am in transition. so we are learning together!


The children are soon to be Kindergartners. Some at the year round school have only a matter of weeks. Some not until August when the "traditional" year starts up. Most of the class will be graduating to the "Schoolage" classroom. So as their "new" teacher; I will be fleeting in their lives. I would like to make it fun for them.

I was informed on Friday that I am to get them ready for the PreK graduation ceremony that will be held in a scant week and a half.
I have been there now 3 days.
I am just barely matching names to faces.
I am unsure of what they know.
But we will practice our songs and poems several times a day, and just hope for the best~


This is a different kind of pressure than being the director of a childcare. There are still tasks to do. but on a different scale. with more positive and easy to see results.


At the end of the day I am physically tired, and it is a good tired. As apposed to the mental exhaustion that just never seemed to go away as the director of a center.
so my Monday night jitters are just the rattlings of getting used to a new position, and a new routine.