When I’m not at Bonaventure, I spend the majority of my time at my full-time job at a daycare.  Daycare workers don’t receive the support or compensation that matches how intense the work is.  The days are long and brutal; however, it is one of the most rewarding jobs. Over the past three years working there, I have spent most of my time with infants and toddlers, although everyone loves infants; how could you not when it’s a room full of adorable babies? I have found the greatest joy working with the toddlers.  If you know me, you know I can talk about what I call my babies for hours and hours, but many don’t hear how much working with this age group can change you and how you view the world around you.Â
Most mornings, I walk into work tired before my day has even begun. Groggy as ever, I walk into the classroom to the sounds of kids yelling “Miss Ava,” followed by many small children running to hug me before I can even get my whole body into the room.
My day begins to look up. Our day has begun; they start eating breakfast as I read them one of their favorite books, Click Clack Moo. To me, it’s a simple children’s book, however, that is the farthest thing from how the kids are listening to it.
They genuinely think the cows are typing on typewriters, and the laughs that erupt in the classroom show it. It makes me wonder when I stopped appreciating the simple things in my life.
The day continues, and when everyone is a bit too rowdy in the class, you suggest a dance party. The best part of dance parties with toddlers is that they don’t care at all what everyone else thinks–whether they’re doing it correctly or looking silly, they’re just having fun.
As we get older, we become aware of everyone else’s eyes and what they think about us. As you dance around the room, a child twirls a bit too hard and falls; she scrapes her knee. As you hug them and make sure they’re okay, you go to get them a Band-Aid. Expecting them to be still sad, you bring them with you, but instead of focusing on the fact that she is hurt, she describes the exact Band-Aid she wants to show off to her friends. Â
Instead of focusing on the fact that she fell, she had already moved on to finding the light in the situation. By the time this very average morning is over, I realize I am not as tired or frustrated as I was when I walked through the door. These children have a way of turning ordinary moments into something worth being excited about, and without even realizing it, they have taught me to do the same.Â
Beyond what I have learned from the kids, I have also learned a lot from working in a daycare. I have learned to slow down and take in the moment of holding an infant, who’s just three months old, as they fall asleep. I have learned to be proud of myself. One of my proudest moments while working there was when a parent pulled me aside toward the end of the summer and told me their child had always cried at drop-off and had never just walked in until I started working consistently in the room with him. Now he gets dropped off without a problem. Finally, I have learned to feel excited about my future working with kids as a teacher.Â